Department for Transport

Railways: Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Civil Servants with the rail directorates are based (a) Leeds and (b) London as of 16 March 2022.

Andrew Stephenson: The number of Civil Servants in DfT working within the rail directorates is 1005. 45 of whom are based in Leeds, and 905 are based in London. The number of Civil Servants in DfT working within the rail directorates based in Leeds has increased by 300% compared to the same period last year.

Ports: Nationalisation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to nationalise ports operators in England.

Robert Courts: The UK ports industry is a highly successful, competitive, and a predominantly privately run sector. The sector has continually demonstrated its commitment to the UK through ongoing investment and enhancement to facilitate the 95% of imports and exports vital for the UK economy that arrive by sea. UK Ports have also played a key resilience role in keeping goods flowing through the pandemic and other recent challenges. There are no government plans to change the status of UK ports.

Large Goods Vehicles: Driving Licences

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the lack of requirement for a HGV specific licence for road construction purposes.

Trudy Harrison: The Government has no plans to review the current vehicle licensing categories or driver entitlements for road construction vehicles.Some construction vehicles can be driven by those holding a category B licence, however, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, including HGVs, require a Category C licence, road rollers Category G, and tracked vehicles Category H.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make provision for there being a short grace period exempting a driver from the requirement to hold vehicle tax for a particular vehicle in the event of the death of the registered keeper of that vehicle to enable family members or close friends of that former registered keeper to be able to drive that vehicle, providing they are insured to drive that vehicle.

Trudy Harrison: All vehicle excise duty automatically ends when a vehicle is sold to a new keeper, transferred to the motor trade or when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is notified that the registered keeper has passed away.The DVLA recognises that this is a distressing time for family members and has a specialist team in place to deal with these cases sensitively. When the DVLA receives a notification of a bereavement this specialist team will write to the family to confirm what actions need to be taken.The law does not provide for any grace period or for vehicle excise duty to be transferred to a new keeper.

Driving Tests: Carmarthenshire

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on tackling the backlog at the Carmarthen and Llanelli driving test centres.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on ensuring sufficient examiners at the Carmarthen and Llanelli driving test centres.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the DVSA on (a) shortages in driving examiners and (b) progress towards recruitment targets.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the DVSA on ensuring that Approved Driving Instructors are informed of cancellations at their local driving centres before that information is made available to cancellation websites and apps.

Trudy Harrison: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.These include:offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners;asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests;conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends; andasking recently retired driving examiners to return to testing.As of 22 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Carmarthen is 2 weeks, and Llanelli is 8 weeks.The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.The DVSA does not take the decision to cancel tests lightly and will only do so when it has exhausted every possible avenue and tried to find another examiner to provide cover. All available practical driving test appointments, including cancellations, are shown on the live booking system to everyone, including approved driving instructors (ADI), at the same time. Any additional tests are added as soon as they become available. The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this.Candidates, and ADIs, can check for earlier appointments at their local test centres on the gov.uk/change-driving-test services. Other candidates cancelling or rescheduling their test also free up slots for others to book, and appointments may be available at other nearby centres. The DVSA advises everyone to regularly check for new appointments.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Members

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of enquiries made to the DVLA from Members of Parliament and (b) proportion of those queries answered within that agency's service standard on enquiry response time.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average processing time is for driving licence applications by (a) new applications, (b) renewal applications and (c) replacement applications.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to tackle the backlog in paper applications to the DVLA.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for customers to speak to a DVLA agent over the telephone in (a) each of the last five years and (b) in 2022; and what steps he is taking to reduce that waiting time.

Trudy Harrison: The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.The large majority of applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online here.In 2021, the DVLA received 16,972 items of correspondence from Members of Parliament. Of these, 36% were answered within the DVLA’s target of eight working days. The DVLA has allocated extra resource to the team that deals with enquiries from Members of Parliament and we expect that this will start to show an improving picture going forward.The table below shows the average processing time for ordinary driving licence applications between 1 April 2021 and 28 February 2022 in working days, by (a) new applications, (b) renewal applications, and (c) replacement applications.  (a) new applications(b) renewal applications(c) replacement applications  Online application2.331.561.62Paper application25.0830.5633.70 The table below shows the average waiting time for customers to speak to a DVLA agent by telephone in each of the last five years and during the current year.YearMinutes2016-170.52017-181.02018-191.12019-201.32020-217.32021-2211.1Since 1 April 2020, the DVLA’s contact centre has recruited and trained 166 extra staff with 20 more due to join during March and a further 150 being recruited. In addition, the DVLA’s new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham have recruited extra staff who are processing medical driving licence applications as well as supporting customers who call the contact centre.

Transport for London: Finance

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the absence of a long-term funding deal with TfL on the provision of TfL services to locations outside of Greater London.

Trudy Harrison: The Government recently agreed a fourth extraordinary funding and financing package for Transport for London (TfL) worth around £200m. This takes total funding provided to TfL since the start of the pandemic to close to £5bn and will ensure the continued running of TfL’s network as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government’s extraordinary funding settlements recognise the reliance of London’s transport network on fare revenue, and Government’s commitment now and in the future to mitigating loss of fare revenue because of the pandemic.The Mayor has agreed to carry out a review of demand and service levels in April 2022 to inform future service level requirements and potential changes. Transport in London is devolved, and therefore the Mayor must make decisions on service levels that supports the goal of being financially sustainable by April 2023.

Infrastructure: Investment

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the level of investment from individuals appearing on the UK sanctions list in companies contracted by (a) HS2 Ltd and (b) other infrastructure projects for which his Department is responsible.

Andrew Stephenson: Our latest assessment indicates that only one sanctioned individual has connections to my Department’s infrastructure projects through involvement with an HS2 contractor. The HS2 contractor has suspended any dividend payments from going to the sanctioned individual.

Railways

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage rail travel in the next 12 months.

Wendy Morton: The pandemic is changing travel habits, and we are starting to see some substantial changes in passenger demand for rail travel.We are working with the rail industry to develop a number of recovery initiatives, focused on restoring passenger confidence and encouraging passengers to choose rail. Further announcements will be made in due course.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraphs 18 to 21 of the Government Response to the Transport Select Committee’s Third Report on the Rollout and safety of smart motorways, HC 26, published on 12 January 2022, whether (a) motorway service stations, (b) slip roads and (c) hard shoulders are defined as emergency refuge areas by National Highways in its work retrofitting all-lane running motorways.

Trudy Harrison: In the Government’s response to the Transport Committee report published in January 2022, we announced that we would be committing £390 million to add around 50% more places to stop in an emergency by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance. National Highways is currently developing a detailed programme of work which will set out the type and location of emergency areas to be delivered.

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold urgent talks with representatives of P&O Ferries to (a) reverse its decision to dismiss 800 British workers and (b) seek the return of furlough payments made to its parent company.

Robert Courts: We have already written to P&O expressing our anger and disappointment clearly and unequivocally and telling them in no uncertain terms to reconsider this decision and to treat their workers fairly, as required by law. The ministerial team has already met with P&O company chiefs to reiterate and reinforce this message and are continuing to explore all options.Where we have made payments for services that P&O Ferries have delivered, we cannot claw back funds, but we are examining all contracts with DP World.Our priority is to provide support to the 800 workers who have lost their jobs and to help protect the 1400 seafarers still employed by P&O Ferries who are keeping goods coming into the country.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Diesel Fuel: Russia

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the quantity of Russian produced diesel that is utilised for transport in the UK.

Greg Hands: Annual data on the imports of diesel from Russia are published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/petroleum-chapter-3-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes). In 2020 Russian imports of diesel totalled 3,608 thousand tonnes. All of UK demand for diesel is for transport. The UK is a significant producer of both crude oil and petroleum products, and in the case of diesel, UK demand is met by a combination of domestic production and imports from a diverse range of reliable suppliers beyond Russia including Norway, Saudi Arabia and the USA. The Government is working closely with industry to ensure that the UK will phase out imports of Russian oil in response to Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine by the end of the year.

Recovery Loan Scheme

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on businesses of Recovery Loan Scheme repayments; and if he will publish the findings of that assessment.

Paul Scully: The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) provides financial support to businesses across the UK as they recover and grow following the coronavirus pandemic. Finance advanced under the Recovery Loan Scheme may be in the form of loans, overdrafts, asset finance or invoice finance. These facilities are supporting growth and investment across the UK. Borrowing through the Recovery Loan Scheme is subject to a lender’s affordability assessment of the borrower. The checks and approach taken to this assessment may vary between lenders. The business remains 100% liable for repayment of the facility. An evaluation of the Recovery Loan Scheme will be carried out in due course.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will increase the Warm Homes Discount to reflect the increase in the energy price cap and household energy bills.

Greg Hands: The Government has committed to expanding the Warm Home Discount spending envelope from the current £350 million to £475 million per year, rising with inflation. This means around 3 million households would receive rebates on their energy bills every winter, representing an increase of a third compared to the current scheme. The Government consulted last summer on reforms to the scheme, which included a proposal to increase the rebate amount from the current £140 to £150. This increase balances providing meaningful support to as many households as possible while minimising the impact on consumers’ bills. The Government has announced a new package of support to help households with their energy bills, including a £200 discount on household energy bills this autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain; a £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Council Tax Bands A-D in England; and an additional £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households not eligible for the Council Tax rebate. In addition, support will continue to be offered through established support schemes, such as the Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payment, which help vulnerable households with their winter energy costs.

Tidal Power

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the use of tidal power to help meet the UK's energy needs.

Greg Hands: The Government announced in November 2021 that the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round will feature a £20m annual ringfenced budget for tidal power. This builds on a long and continuing history of government support for the tidal power sector and opens up possibilities for Britain’s marine energy sector to play a key role in strengthening energy security and reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Moreover, the Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in our bays and estuaries, provided that such proposals can demonstrate clear and beneficial impacts on the energy system and good value for money.

Gazprom: Sanctions

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of potential sanctions against Gazprom on UK energy intensive industries who have forward purchased energy supplies from Gazprom.

Greg Hands: Gazprom Energy continues to trade in the UK and customers should exercise their own commercial judgement with regards to energy supply contracts they have in place at the moment. The Government recommends seeking independent legal advice on this topic if consumers are concerned about the status of any existing contracts they have in place or the impact of existing sanctions on Russian companies. The Government cannot speculate on any future sanctions.

Energy Supply

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish an update to the National Emergency Plan for downstream gas and electricity.

Greg Hands: The National Emergency Plan for Downstream Gas and Electricity remains an accurate overview of the plans and processes across the energy sector for emergencies. The National Emergency Plan for Downstream Gas and Electricity is planned to be updated this year. While the document currently references EU law and regulation, these have been succeeded by UK law and regulation as part of a wider statutory instrument package brought in when the UK left the EU.

Energy: Housing

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made on the proportion of homes rated EPC C+ in (a) 2010 and (b) 2020.

Greg Hands: The latest English Housing Survey suggests 14% of English homes were rated EPC C+ in 2010 and 46% rated EPC C+ in 2020. Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1054775/2020-21_EHS_Headline_Report_Section_2_Stock_Annex_Table_revised.odsTab AT2.8, Cells C37:D38

Electricity Generation: Costs

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of the cost of producing a kilowatt of electricity from a (a) North Sea wind turbine and (b) power station running on gas shipped to the UK from overseas.

Greg Hands: BEIS publishes the Levelized Costs of Electricity (LCOE) for all generating technologies in the Generation Cost Reports (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beis-electricity-generation-costs-2020). The LCOE of offshore wind turbines and gas plants (both CCGT and OCGT) are derived from their lifetime electricity generation, capital costs, and operational costs (including fuel).

Wind Power: Storage

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to store wind energy generated at night for use during days of high demand and low wind.

Greg Hands: The Government’s approach to electricity storage is focussed on providing regulatory clarity and removing barriers to deployment, with actions laid out in the 2021 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan. There is currently around 4GW of storage operational in GB. 3GW of this is pumped hydro storage and 1GW is newer lithium-ion battery storage. The Government is reviewing responses to the Call for Evidence on large-scale, long-duration electricity storage published last year, alongside analysis we commissioned on the role of this type of storage in the electricity system. The Government is aiming to publish a response in due course. The Government also has plans to produce hydrogen from electrolysis as part of the Hydrogen Strategy, published in August 2021.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Imports

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide saving in the event that all imported liquified natural gas was replaced by domestic gas piped to users.

Greg Hands: In 2021, the vast majority of the UK’s gas supply came from domestic production and reliable imports from Norway. The UK’s remaining supply came from a diverse range of international sources, including 15% from liquified natural gas (LNG). The UK trades gas on a global marketplace. Intervening in the market to replace our LNG supplies with domestic gas might lead to the LNG being consumed elsewhere, generating no net carbon emissions savings.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which new oil and gas fields in the North Sea will be licenced to supplement domestic production in 2022.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which new gas and oil fields in the North Sea have been licenced for production in the last six months.

Greg Hands: The most recent offshore licensing round was the 32nd UK Offshore Licensing Round. It was conducted by the Oil and Gas Authority (now the North Sea Transition Authority), and concluded on 30th September 2020, with 113 licences issued that year. The Government recently held a public consultation on the new Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, which will inform the next licensing round to be opened later this year. Oil and gas fields, after being licensed, require a number of consents issued by regulators, such as Development and Production Consents granted by the North Sea Transition Authority, before they can begin production. A number of fields have received these consents in recent months. A full list of these consents can be found on the North Sea Transition Authority’s website here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/field-data/.

Natural Gas and Oil: Licensing

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy (a) not to permit licencing of onshore gas or oil development where the Planning Authority Council and/or landowner is against it and (b) offer a royalty to the landowner and Council where they are in favour of developing onshore production.

Greg Hands: Licensing of locations for onshore oil and gas exploration and production is a separate process from planning, typically encompassing large areas and occurring some years in advance of any actual developments that would require planning or landowner consent. It would not be practicable to base licensing decisions on future planning or landowner decisions. In addition to requiring the relevant planning consents and landowner agreements, onshore oil and gas operations are subject to regulatory oversight including environmental permitting processes and scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive. The Government does not offer a royalty to landowners or local authorities in relation to onshore oil and gas exploration and production. Any agreements between developers and other parties would be a matter for the relevant parties.

District Heating: Prices

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the likely level of forthcoming price rises for heat network customers; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: Price increases for heat network customers vary depending on the type and owner of the network. Larger district heat networks are able to use their market size to purchase energy at scale and secure cheaper prices. Whilst the Government does not yet have robust estimates of price increases for heat network consumers, those supplied by district heat networks are seeing price increases broadly in line with increases being seen by customers under the Retail Price Cap. The Government is seeing larger price increases for heat network customers on smaller communal networks where there are greater difficulties in purchasing at scale. These types of networks serve approximately 80,000 domestic consumers (18% of all domestic heat network consumers). The Government remains committed to legislating within this parliament to regulate the heat networks sector.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Artificial Intelligence

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2020 to Question 112077, Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made with each of the items listed.

George Freeman: A progress update where available (in italics) on each of the items in the answer I gave the Hon. Member on 13 November 2022 to Question 112077 can be found below. BEIS are exploring AI and machine learning techniques internally to enable more efficient working. Projects are being(i) Undertaken:A proof of concept for the use of virtual assistants to help staff find information regarding corporate policies, whereby the assistant will improve by learning from the enquires responses. An HR chatbot was developed as a proof of concept.Planning a proof of concept using Machine Learning for automatic labelling, setting up retention periods for past and future documents that form the official record. A small-scale proof of concept was undertaken in Spring 2021 using a "machine teaching" tool to automate content processing and data classification to help identify information of value within a digital heap.(ii) Considered:The use of AI handling of inbound enquiries into the department to create draft responses and to triage requests to the correct teams. An enquiries service using an AI builder to automatically categorise emails was developed as a proof of concept. BEIS Analysts use machine learning techniques, under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, where appropriate as part of analysis supporting policy development.Machine Learning projects are being(i) Undertaken:Identifying the location of industrial strengths. Report on this has been publishedPilot for targeting communications about business supportCategorising internal documents by subject. Currently exploring feasibility for implementationProject to understand the labour market through analysing job adverts. Methodology shared with OGDs and academicsA pilot for organising internal processes. Process implemented (ii) Considered:A pilot for predicting economic impacts using real time indicatorsExploring automatic text generation a pilot exploring natural language processing approaches for extracting economic intelligencePlanning to repeat a machine learning exercise on HMRC data to identify high growth potential businesses, to build on the successful ‘DECA pilot’ of 2019. This would underpin further operations in 2021, depending on the outcome of the SR process. DECA activities have pivoted to other government priorities.BEIS policy teams are exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence. AI projects are being considered by the Better Regulation Executive who are looking to convert the stock of regulatory requirements placed on business into machine readable code and pilot hosting this as open source a metadata set on the ‘Open Regulation Platform’ (ORP), freely available on The National Archives GOV.UK platform. The project is currently in discovery phase to identify all data that government holds on regulatory obligations that could be relevant for this platform. This application is closely related to work that has already been undertaken as part of BEIS GovTech challenge to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand the cumulative impact of regulation. The Open Regulation Platform project is currently at the private beta stage.

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will hold discussions with (a) P&O Ferries representatives, (b) P&O Ferries workers and (c) trade unions to inform an assessment of the appropriateness of dismissal of staff of P&O Ferries without statutory consultation.

Paul Scully: P&O Ferries has conducted itself in an appalling manner. There are clear requirements around both consultation and notification when making collective redundancies. The Government has demanded answers from the company as to why they think they are above these rules. We have received a response to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s letter to P&O Ferries, and we are reviewing their explanations. The Secretary of State has also written to the Insolvency Service asking them to consider what scope there is for further action.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prevent businesses advertising vacancies for seafarers in British territorial waters at rates of pay less than the minimum wage, in breach of the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) Order 1999.

Paul Scully: The Government is clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it. In 2020, the Government legislated to ensure that seafarers who are working in the UK territorial sea are entitled to be paid the minimum wage, regardless of where they ordinarily work or where their ship is registered. This means that most individuals working in our waters are entitled to be paid at least the National Living Wage or relevant National Minimum Wage rate for their age. An individual’s entitlement to the minimum wage is not dependent on the rates of pay included in a job advert or job offer that they accepted. If an individual is not being paid at least minimum wage when they are entitled to it, they should complain to HMRC using the online form on GOV.UK. HMRC will consider ever complaint they receive and since 2015 they have returned over £100 million in unpaid wages to 1 million workers.

Land Registry: Artificial Intelligence

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2020 to Question 112078, Land Registry: Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made by the Land Registry on exploring new and emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through its Digital Street research and development project.

George Freeman: HM Land Registry (HMLR) is already using machine learning to enable its caseworkers to compare documents more efficiently, to make the Land Register increasingly machine readable and to accelerate the migration of Local Authority data as part of the Local Land Charges programme. HMLR’s Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21 includes an update on the Digital Street research and development programme and is available on GOV.UK.

Shared Services Connected and UK Shared Business Services

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) civil servants, (b) public servants in UK Shared Business Services and (c) private sector workers in Shared Services Connected Ltd work on shared services within the shared service matrix cluster.

George Freeman: The Matrix shared service cluster was introduced as part of the Government Business Services “Shared Services Strategy for Government” in March 2021. A programme team has been put in place to develop a business case and secure a budget for the implementation of the shared service centre for the cluster.The current number of civil servants that work directly on transactional shared services is c.80.UK Shared Business Services provide shared services, including to BEIS and DIT. The number of public servants in UK Shared Business Services is c.640.

Iron and Steel: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of carbon tariffs on the economic performance of steel companies in the UK.

Lee Rowley: The UK does not currently have in place a system of carbon tariffs or carbon border taxes, otherwise known as a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Shipbuilding

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact on British steel companies of the Government's new Ship Building Strategy.

Lee Rowley: The Government publishes the annual Steel Pipeline of upcoming national infrastructure projects to enable steel businesses to plan ahead for future demand. This pipeline also encompasses the programmes within the Shipbuilding Pipeline. In addition, we are working with the steel sector to consider the recommendations of the Steel Procurement Taskforce, published on 22 February, looking at how government and industry can work together to help the steel sector best position itself for success in public contracts.

Redundancy

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that companies may not make decisions and announcements on mass redundancy without proper consultation with the workforce or trade unions.

Paul Scully: The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 already requires employers proposing to make 20 or more employees redundant from one establishment in a 90-day period to consult employees or their representatives: at least 45 days before the first dismissal takes effect where 100 or more redundancies are proposed.at least 30 days before the first dismissal takes effect where 20 or more redundancies are proposed. The consultation must cover ways to avoid redundancies, reducing the numbers of redundancies, or mitigating their impact. Within the same timescales, the employer must notify the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the proposed collective redundancies. Failure to submit a notification without good cause is a criminal offence and can result in an unlimited fine. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides advice on best practice when managing large scale redundancies. Employees and/or employee representatives may make a claim to an employment tribunal if they consider the employer has not complied with the consultation requirements for collective redundancies. If the tribunal agrees it may make a protective award of up to 90 days’ remuneration per employee.

Homes Shopping: Origin Marking

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring online marketplaces to detail country of origin information on goods.

Paul Scully: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs) require traders to provide consumers with specified pre-purchase information including the main characteristics of goods, services or digital content. This does not necessarily include the country of origin. Consumers are free to enquire to the seller about the origin of products. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), traders are banned from giving consumers false information or using misleading statements or presentation about the geographical or commercial origin of products. The Regulations carry criminal penalties and are enforced by local trading standards officers.

Solar Power: Industrial Estates

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise the use of industrial spaces for the generation of solar power using solar panels; what assessment he has made of the feasibility of increasing the use of industrial spaces for that purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: Solar is a versatile low-cost technology which can be deployed on domestic and industrial roof tops and on the ground in a variety of spaces. In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government committed to sustained increase in deploying renewable generation technologies, including all types solar into the 2020s and beyond. The Government is supporting the deployment of large scale solar through the Contracts for Difference scheme. Those installing rooftop solar on industrial and other buildings can receive payment for any surplus electricity that is exported to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Government is also providing fiscal incentives through capital allowances for spend on solar panels, and as announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Budget 2021, solar and storage used on site will be exempt from business rates from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2035.

Attorney General

Fraud: Prosecutions

Steve Reed: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to her Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 128272, on Fraud: Criminal Investigation, how many prosecutions for fraud and forgery were dropped in each (a) region of the country and (b) local justice area in each of the last five years.

Alex Chalk: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of defendants whose prosecution was dropped where the Principal Offence Category allocated at finalisation was Fraud and Forgery. This information can be further disaggregated to show the number in each CPS Area and further into each Local Criminal Justice Area. The tables below show the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence of Fraud and Forgery whose prosecution was dropped during each of the last five years. (a) Fraud and Forgery Prosecutions Dropped in each CPS Regional Area  2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021Cymru Wales6044625632Eastern8247544147East Midlands9278897680London North17212411810978London South20116313511379Merseyside & Cheshire3844808255North East6170473331North West5975724831South East7653554135South West4943392845Thames and Chiltern7274754831Wessex5132799867West Midlands1611541499395Yorkshire & Humberside9285796968Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System The table above excludes prosecutions dealt with by the central specialist casework teams. (b) Fraud and Forgery Prosecutions Dropped in each Criminal Justice Area  2016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-2021Avon & Somerset2012221420Cambridgeshire8514711Cheshire1021131511Cleveland and Durham2322201117Cumbria64763Derbyshire2715211922Devon & Cornwall2124141016Dorset108678Dyfed-Powys95643East Midlands6363685158Essex4730161420Gloucestershire77349Greater Manchester3548382514Gwent1149100Hampshire281825237Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire3734482514Humberside1211161518Kent3121191814Lancashire1724281619London397302274248156Merseyside3021252212Norfolk and Suffolk2413201817North Wales15813126North Yorkshire17101089Northumbria3748322214South Wales292727915South Yorkshire1820281113Staffordshire22261658Surrey291418714Sussex181515157Thames Valley3839272116Warwickshire198543West Mercia162329149West Midlands4739301822West Yorkshire4547383329Wiltshire971236Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System The table above excludes prosecutions originating from other investigatory authorities such as the Department of Work and Pensions or HM Revenue and Customs. The Fraud and Forgery category includes offences created by the Fraud Act 2006, forgery or copying false instruments, bribery, money laundering, bankruptcy offences and cheating the public revenue. It is not possible to separately report prosecution outcomes by the individual offences allocated to this category.During the last five years, the CPS has prosecuted 67,817 defendants for fraud and forgery offences and convictions have been obtained against 58,671 (86.5%) of these defendants.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Pay

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS staff in (a) Royston, (b) Basildon, (c) Harlow, (d) Watford, (e) Brentwood and (f) Thurrock receive the Fringe High Cost Area Supplement at 5 per cent of basic salary.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will confirm that NHS staff in Cambridgeshire do not receive any level of the High Cost Area Supplement.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which categories of NHS staff in administrative areas that qualify for the Fringe High Cost Area Supplement receive an uplift.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often his Department reviews which administrative regions qualify for High Cost Area Supplements.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) methodology and (b) data his Department uses to determine whether an administrative region qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement.

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department assesses whether an area qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement based on (a) travel to work area, (b) county council, (c) NHS commissioning authority or (d) another geographic basis.

Edward Argar: High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Health Services: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of covid-19 on those people waiting for elective care in York.

Edward Argar: No formal assessment has been made.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the level of covid-19 cases on York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Trust.

Edward Argar: No formal assessment has been made. However, the Trust is being supported to deliver services including through elective recovery funding to increase activity, use of technology to maximise capacity and advice set out in the ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Standard Contract 2022-23, in what format the 12-hour standard for maximum waits from the time of arrival in emergency departments will be published.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Standard Contract 2022-23, what estimate his Department has made of the number of patients waiting 12 hours or more in emergency departments from time of arrival.

Edward Argar: NHS Digital publishes the number of patients in accident and emergency (A&E) at more than 12 hours from arrival. In 2020/21, 302,784 patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E from arrival.The NHS Standard Contract for 2022/23 includes a 12-hour standard from time as arrival as a national quality indicator. NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently considering the publication of reporting against this standard and further information will be provided in due course.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce ambulance queues outside Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske.

Edward Argar: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has placed a mobile unit at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro to accommodate up to eight patients waiting admission. Patients accommodated by the unit will be cared for by trained professionals working as part of the ambulance service team, allowing ambulance crews to hand over their patients.Where appropriate, patients are taken to urgent treatment centres and clinical assessment and treatment units rather than waiting to be seen in the emergency department. Timely patient discharge is also being supported to improve patient flow through hospitals and reduce ambulance queues.

Members: Correspondence

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts dated 10 December 2021, 20 December 2021, 11 January 2022, 8 February 2022 and 3 March 2022 on developing a four-nation approach to improving research and funding into childhood cancer.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 22 March 2022.

Dentistry: Health Professions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential career pathways for practitioners from other medical professions to transfer into dentistry.

Edward Argar: We have no plans to do so. However, a number of dental schools in England offer a four-year dental degree programme for applicants, including those working in other medical professions who have already graduated in other fields.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the total cost to the public purse of (a) lateral flow and (b) PCR covid-19 tests in the last twelve months.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to publish the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Covid-19 Testing Taskforce: Andrew Feldman Associates

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who represented Andrew Feldman Associates at the meetings of the Covid-19 Testing Taskforce on (a) 13 April 2020, (b) 17 April 2020, (c) 20 April 2020, (d) 27 April 2020, (e) 4 May 2020, (f) 11 May 2020 and (g) 18 May 2020; and whether his Department holds minutes of each of those meetings.

Maggie Throup: The Department holds minutes of the COVID-19 Testing Taskforce meetings referred to held on 17 April 2020, 20 April 2020, 27 April 2020, 4 May 2020, 11 May 2020 and 18 May 2020 respectively. Departmental records do not confirm a meeting took place on 13 April 2020. However, records show that a meeting took place on 15 April 2020 and the Department holds the relevant minutes.The Department does not hold a record of all individuals who attended these meetings from participating organisations, other than those referenced in the minutes. These records do not show who, if anyone, attended the meetings as a representative of Andrew Feldman Associates.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering every adult over the age of 18 Spring covid-19 booster vaccination.

Maggie Throup: The primary aim of the spring COVID-19 vaccination programme is to reduce the risk of severe disease. The programme targets those over the age of 75 years old who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Based on an assessment of the available evidence, protection against severe COVID-19 disease after the first booster declines slowly, therefore the most vulnerable groups have been prioritised for this precautionary vaccination programme. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation continues to consider the latest available data and review the booster programme, particularly in relation to the timing and value of any additional booster doses.

Contact Tracing: Software

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of additional contracts with the ZOE Covid Study.

Maggie Throup: The Government will continue monitoring the virus through maintaining surveillance studies such as the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey and other data sources, including genomic sequencing. The Government will keep all surveillance activities under review to ensure we have the capabilities to monitor waves of COVID-19 and defend against future variants.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish a monthly breakdown of the cost to the public purse of providing free covid-19 lateral flow device tests at pharmacies, including procurement, distribution and infrastructure costs.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

NHS Test and Trace: Consultants

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the reliance and expenditure on consultants in providing NHS Track and Trace.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency produced a workforce strategy in July 2021 detailing plans to reduce the use of consultancy services and increase the proportion of civil servants employed by the organisation. Reducing the number of management consultants is balanced with the delivery of national priorities, ensuring the sustainable handover of critical knowledge and managing recruitment into highly skilled roles. In 2021/22, reductions in the number of consultants has produced a saving of £100 million.

Abortion

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether is Department is taking steps to end the practice of at-home abortions.

Maggie Throup: On 24 February 2022, the Government announced that the temporary approval enabling home use of both pills for early medical abortion will end. We have extended the temporary approval for six months which will expire on 29 August 2022. From this date, services for early medical abortion will return in line with pre-COVID-19 regulatory requirements.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to respond in a timely way to potential increases in covid-19 infection rates in the context of the time taken to collate and report data by the ONS in its releases.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes regular monitoring of United Kingdom and international COVID-19 data to enable the Government to respond to potential increases in infection rates. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases, in hospital settings in particular, including using genomic sequencing to allow insights into the evolution of the virus.This includes estimated infection rates published on a weekly basis by the Office of National Statistics to support the Government’s decision making. Data held on the level of transmission of COVID-19 is published daily on the Coronavirus Dashboard in a weekly summary in the weekly National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of people contracting covid-19 in hospitals.

Maggie Throup: The former Public Health England published a study on hospital-acquired COVID-19 in England. In this study, hospital admissions data in England were linked to COVID-19 national test data from 1 March 2020 to 31 August 2020. Its findings show that up to one in six infections among hospitalised patients with COVID-19 could be attributed to hospital-acquired infection. This represents less than 1% of the estimated three million COVID-19 cases during this period.As a continuation of this study, the UK Health Security Agency is investigating hospital admissions data and its findings will be published in due course.

Influenza

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for next winter's influenza season; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The scope of the seasonal flu vaccination programme each season is based on independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The Department is working with the JCVI to determine the eligibility for the vaccine in the 2022/23 season. We will also work with the UK Health Security Agency, which monitors the prevalence of the flu virus prior to and during the flu season. Local providers are responsible for ordering the appropriate quantity of vaccine required.

Coronavirus: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the trend in the levels of the covid-19 infection rate in York.

Maggie Throup: As seen elsewhere in England, cases rates in York have seen a recent rise. The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Yorkshire and the Humber Health Protection Team continues to monitor COVID-19 levels throughout the region. The UKHSA’s regional teams also have regular contact with Directors of Public Health and local authority public health teams to discuss trends in local data and offer guidance to address case rates in identified settings.

Healthy Start Scheme: Eligibility

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether recipients of (a) child tax credit, (b) income-related employment support allowance, (c) pension credit, (d) income-based job seekers allowance and (e) other legacy benefits remain eligible for the new Healthy Start card system.

Maggie Throup: Recipients of legacy benefits remain eligible for the Healthy Start scheme and may apply for the prepaid card.

Health Visitors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is any requirement that health visitors see a baby during their mandated contact or if a phone call with only one parent can count as valid service delivery in current data collection.

Maria Caulfield: Clinical advice is that effective mandated reviews should include face to face assessment. This advice is set out in the health visiting and school nurse service delivery model, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-of-public-health-services-for-children/health-visiting-and-school-nursing-service-delivery-modelGuidance on collection of service delivery metrics for 2022/23 is being reviewed and will be updated shortly.

IVF: Eligibility

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of clarifying IVF eligibility guidance to allow individuals with partners who have children from a previous relationship to be eligible for IVF across England.

Maria Caulfield: The Department undertook an internal policy review about the variation in access to National Health Service fertility services, which was completed in 2021. The results of this internal review will inform future policy. We will set out our initial ambitions in the Women’s Health Strategy, due to be published in the spring. The Government expects local NHS commissioning bodies to commission fertility services in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, so that there is equitable access across England.We are aware that some commissioners set additional non-clinical criteria, which can include having children from previous relationships. This is outside the best clinical practice within the NICE fertility guidelines.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on preparing the way for the use of injectable PrEP to prevent HIV.

Maria Caulfield: There have been no recent discussions. As outlined in our HIV Action Plan published in December 2021, the Department’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will work with NHS England and NHS Improvement and other partners to monitor the potential use of injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis as the evidence to support its effectiveness becomes available.

Coronavirus: Carers

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the provision of free covid-19 tests to the unpaid carers of clinically vulnerable people.

Gillian Keegan: The testing regimes for adult social care after 1 April 2022 are currently under review. Further details will be provided shortly.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of covid-19 have been diagnosed in care homes in the last week.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not held in the format requested.However, the most recent data available for the week ending 9 March 2022 shows that 667,051 lateral flow device (LFD) tests were conducted among care home staff and 9,075 returned positive; 58,129 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were conducted among care home staff and 2,438 returned positive; 27,590 LFD tests were conducted among care home residents and 1,917 returned positive; and 87,363 PCR tests were conducted among care home staff and 4,193 returned positive.It should be noted that this data refers to tests reported and therefore could include multiple positive tests for the same individual.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres: Finance

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has his Department allocated in funding to Sexual Assault Referral Centres in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Gillian Keegan: The following table shows expenditure by NHS England and NHS Improvement on Sexual Assault Referral Centres in each of the last five years.2016/17£23,014,0002017/18£24,312,0002018/19£32,316,0002019/20£33,186,0002020/21£38,998,000 Note:It should be noted that that due to a change in service commissioning, expenditure in 2020/21 also includes Sexual Assault and Abuse Services more widely.

Immunosuppression: Evusheld

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 92097 and following the Conditional Marketing Authorisation awarded by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on 17 March 2022, what plans he has to ensure that severely immunocompromised patients have access to Evusheld; and what estimate he has made of when the first patients will start to receive that treatment.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. Any public announcement on the procurement of treatments would be made after an agreement is reached with companies. The Department is scoping the potential introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis. This includes identification of the most appropriate patient groups which could benefit and the potential deployment and administration process. However, treatments must be clinically cost-effective and demonstrate sufficient efficacy against Omicron and new variants.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9 December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9th December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9th December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9th December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9th December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Gillian Keegan: We welcome the Committee’s report. In our response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report, we set out where we agreed with its recommendations or where we are taking forward the recommendations in part or in full. We will be considering the recommendations in full during the development of a new long term cross-Government plan for mental health. We are launching a wide-ranging discussion paper and call for evidence to support development of the plan. The Committee’s inquiry and evidence from witnesses will be considered during this process.

Kidney Diseases: Dialysis Machines

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising fuel prices on the gas and energy bills of people receiving dialysis treatment at home.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for monitoring the energy market in the United Kingdom to ensure it meets the need of all consumers, including those receiving medical treatment at home.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9 December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will supply a decision on behalf of the Government on each of the 25 recommendations made by the select committee on Health and Social Care in its Eighth Report, Children and Young People's Mental Health, HC 17, published on 9 December 2021; and if he will make a statement on that matter at the first available opportunity.

Gillian Keegan: We welcome the Committee’s report. In our response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report, we set out where we agreed with its recommendations or where we are taking forward the recommendations in part or in full. We will be considering the recommendations in full during the development of a new long term cross-Government plan for mental health. We are launching a wide-ranging discussion paper and call for evidence to support development of the plan. The Committee’s inquiry and evidence from witnesses will be considered during this process.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to add Idiopathic CD4 Lymphopenia to the list of conditions that qualify for anti-viral drugs in the event that a patient is infected with covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The clinically eligible cohorts for antivirals have been determined by an independent expert group commissioned by the Department, which informed the development of a National Health Service clinical policy agreed by the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers. Individual patients should contact their clinician to consider whether their condition or other criteria would determine their eligibility for treatments. A process for changes to this cohort is currently being considered. This will use emerging data and consider all factors which might impact eligibility for treatment. Any updates to the policy will be available in due course.

NHS: Car Allowances

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reviewing NHS mileage rates in the context of the recent increase cost of fuel.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase mileage allowance for NHS workers under the Agenda for Change contract to assist with the rising cost of fuel.

Edward Argar: There have been no specific discussions as this is a matter for the NHS Staff Council. Reimbursement of travel costs are covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. The Department continues to work with the NHS Staff Council to ensure terms and conditions arrangements are fit for purpose.The current rate for staff who use their vehicles to make journeys in the performance of their duties is 56 pence per mile, above HM Revenue and Customs’ approved mileage rate of 45 pence per mile. This rate reduces after 3,500 miles to 20 pence per mile. The NHS Terms and Conditions sets out the process for reviewing the rate of reimbursement every six months. This includes reviewing fluctuations in fuel prices.

Health: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on health inequalities in Stockport.

Maria Caulfield: The Regional Director of the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) in the North West has published a ‘state of the region’ report, which highlights a range of disparities which have widened during the pandemic. The OHID’s Health Inequalities Monitoring for England Tool, the Wider Impact of COVID-19 on Health Monitoring Tool and a local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment indicate that the pandemic has had an impact on the health of the Stockport population. At least 90,000 people in Stockport have been diagnosed with COVID-19, more than 3,600 people have been admitted to hospital and more than 900 people have died. Work in the North West region continues to increase vaccination rates and address the longer-term and indirect impacts of COVID-19, such as the effect on mental health and the economy.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) evidential basis and (b) reasoning that underpins the Government’s decision not to make the telemedicine pathway for early medical abortion permanent.

Maggie Throup: The Government’s view is that the provision of early medical abortion should return to pre-COVID-19 arrangements. We have been clear that the approval was put in place on 30 March 2020 to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and ensure continued access to abortion services. This change was made on a temporary basis only and was time limited for two years, or when the provisions of the temporary Coronavirus Act 2020 ended, whichever was the earlier.We assessed and considered evidence from the responses received to the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of both pills for early medical abortion during the pandemic. The summary of these responses is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion/outcome/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion-ema-up-to-10-weeks-gestation-summary-of-consultation-responses

Dentistry: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) recruitment and retention rates of dentists in the (i) NHS, (ii) mixed and (iii) private sectors and (b) potential merits of a workforce strategy for that sector.

Maria Caulfield: Many dentists offer private dental care alongside National Health Service dentistry. No assessment has been made of the recruitment and retention of private dentists. In 2020/21 there were 23,733 dentists with NHS activity in England.Health Education England set out a range of recommendations in its September 2021 Advancing Dental Care Review, which aims to tackle recruitment, retention and attracting more dentists into the NHS. Action is now being taken to implement these through their Dental Education Reform Programme. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working to make the NHS dental contract more attractive to the profession. The Department is also currently working with the General Dental Council on legislative proposals which will allow it greater flexibility to expand overseas registration routes open to international applicants.

Dental Services

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting a preventative approach to healthcare for dentistry and (b) developed plans to implement such an approach.

Maria Caulfield: Our proposals for dental contract reform will aim to incentivise preventative dentistry, prioritise evidence-based care for those with most need and reduce incentives to deliver care that is of low clinical value. An evidence-based toolkit ‘Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’ published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, supports dental teams in delivering preventive advice and treatment for patients. The toolkit is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

Abortion: Telemedicine

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to review measures enabling telemedicine for early medical abortion ahead of the planned deadline of 30 August 2022 for that service to no longer be available to women.

Maggie Throup: On 24 February 2022, we announced that the temporary approval for early medical abortion would be extended until midnight on 29 August, when face to face services will return in England. There are no plans to review the decision before this date.

Gun Sports: Lead

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the risk to human health from levels of lead shot found in pheasants for sale in UK supermarkets.

Maggie Throup: The issue of lead and lead shot has been assessed on a number of occasions by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). COT concluded that lead shot game is unlikely to be a significant source of lead exposure for the majority of consumers, but it may be a significant contributor for frequent consumers.The FSA advises that high consumers of lead shot game should minimise consumption, especially of small game to reduce exposure to lead. This is particularly important for pregnant women, women planning a pregnancy and children. Lead exposure from food, including from lead shot game, is kept under review by the FSA to ensure that advice and other measures in place remain protective for consumers.

Health Visitors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to revert back to the criteria that only face-to-face contacts are counted for health visitor mandated contacts.

Maria Caulfield: The collection of health visitor service metrics is currently under review and associated guidance for 2022/23 will be updated shortly. This follows the changes made during initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and advice on use of virtual contacts. The review on data collection will reflect the national service model, which confirms that mandated reviews should be conducted face to face.

Department of Health and Social Care: Early Day Motions

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 883, Campaign for an Osteogenesis Imperfecta national awareness month.

Maria Caulfield: While we have no specific plans to officially recognise May as the national awareness month for osteogenesis imperfecta, the UK Rare Diseases Framework aims to improve the awareness of all rare diseases. England’s Rare Diseases Action Plan, published on 28 February 2022, sets out specific actions to increase knowledge and improve the resources available to health care professionals. This includes education and training programmes and developing innovative digital resources, integrated into existing digital platforms or websites to provide easily accessible information on rare diseases. Action plans from the devolved administrations will follow later in 2022.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of cervical cancer screenings in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Kidsgrove.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that national funding has been secured for the Health Community Champions programme in Stoke-on-Trent to promote cervical screening. University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust and the local authority are planning a community event with the local Muslim population to increase uptake and the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent region is working with the learning disability regional team to source and distribute easy read resources to all general practitioner practices. In addition, the regional communications teams have supported the national ‘Help us help you’ cervical screening campaign to encourage uptake across the West Midlands region.

Vaccination: Children

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring processes and systems used in the deployment of covid-19 vaccines to the routine childhood immunisation programme.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his department will make an assessment of lesson learned from the covid-19 vaccine deployment and apply the findings to the routine childhood immunisation programme.

Maria Caulfield: Work is underway to learn lessons from the COVID-19 vaccination programmes, particularly on the use of data and technology to supplement childhood immunisations programmes.

Long Covid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the levels of long covid in England as of 17 March 2022.

Maria Caulfield: The Department uses estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics on the prevalence of ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 infection in the United Kingdom. Estimates are based on the self-reporting of ongoing symptoms by study participants rather than a clinical diagnosis. The next available data is expected to be published on 31 March 2022.

Refugees: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding the Government plans to allocate to local health services for each refugee who has arrived in the UK via the Homes for Ukraine or Ukraine Family Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: Due to the uncertainty on the potential costs relating to the provision of health services to Ukrainian refugees, we will consider whether any additional funding is required later in the year. The National Health Service continues to prioritise its resources and respond to the immediate situation.

Dental Services: Ventilation

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is offering support to NHS dentists to help enable them to sufficiently ventilate their practices.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service continues to support dental practices by providing guidance for assessing and improving ventilation. Practices are expected to follow infection prevention control guidance for dental care settings and the Standard Operating Procedure for transition to recovery in dental services.

Vaccination

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on creating a national vaccine strategy; and if he will publish a timeline for its publication.

Maria Caulfield: England’s national all vaccine strategy has been delayed as a result of the Department’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy is being kept under review given the continuously evolving understanding of COVID-19, its vaccines and vaccination programmes and the impact of these developments.

Vaccination

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will publish the Government’s Vaccine Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: England’s national all vaccine strategy has been delayed as a result of the Department’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy is being kept under review given the continuously evolving understanding of COVID-19, its vaccines and vaccination programmes and the impact of these developments.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will publish the Government’s Vaccine Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: England’s national all vaccine strategy has been delayed as a result of the Department’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy is being kept under review due to the continuously evolving understanding of COVID-19, its vaccines and vaccination programmes and the impact of these developments.

NHS: Dental Services

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that people can book NHS dental appointments and (b) remove covid-19 restrictions to ensure further appointments can take place.

Maria Caulfield: We have sought to balance protecting staff and patients by setting minimum thresholds of National Health Service dental activity. The current threshold is 85%. Thresholds have reflected both attainment by the best performing practices and the impact of necessary infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures. The dentistry IPC guidance is based on national guidance for health and care settings, which is regularly updated to reflect the current evidence base. The latest version of the ‘COVID-19: infection prevention and control dental appendix’ was published in March 2022. In addition, £50 million for NHS dentistry was made available in the last quarter of 2021/22 to provide access to dental appointments. NHS dentists have been asked to prioritise available capacity for urgent care, care for vulnerable groups and children followed by overdue appointments.

Health Visitors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take in response to low levels of delivery of health visiting mandated contacts in some local authority areas.

Maria Caulfield: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning public health services for children aged 0 to five years of age. Expectations for health visiting mandated reviews are supported by commissioning and professional guidance. Commissioners and providers may wish to consider development of recovery plans in partnership with other agencies, including monitoring and evaluation. Recovery planning should also consider household vulnerability in prioritising the support provided to families.

NHS: Finance

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the amount of NHS funds lost to fraud in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The NHS Counter Fraud Authority publishes an annual Strategic Intelligence Assessment which estimates fraud losses in the National Health Service in England. The following table shows the estimated losses in each of the last five years for which information is available. Financial yearEstimated fraud losses £ billion2015/161.252016/171.292017/181.272018/191.212019/201.14

Health Professions: Students

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of offering a retrospective financial award to healthcare students who studied between 2017 and 2020 who did not receive a bursary during their time of study.

Edward Argar: No recent assessment has been made and we have no plans to provide a retrospective financial award to healthcare students who did not receive the current grant offer during their studies.

Protective Clothing: Xinjiang

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 118613 on Protective Clothing: Xinjiang, what steps his Department took to (a) ensure that and (b) conclude that no personal protective equipment purchased was produced in Xinjiang.

Edward Argar: The respect for human rights is built into all contracts in the Government’s supply chain. This includes all personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts which incorporate include provisions to meet this commitment. The Department’s records and the relevant contract details for all items ordered show that no PPE was purchased from that area.

PPE Medpro

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2022 to Question 120779, on PPE Medpro, whether his Department does (a) not hold a record of a financial assessment of PPE Medpro incorporating a traffic-light rating or (b) hold that record but is unable to disclose the traffic-light rating because it may prejudice the commercial interests of that company to do so.

Edward Argar: The Department does hold a record that includes a financial assessment of PPE Medpro prior to the contract award. However, we are unable to provide the information requested as the Department is involved in a mediation process which includes confidentiality undertakings and is commercially sensitive.

Procurement

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the companies listed in his Department's spreadsheet entitled Product VIP Atamis were rated as (a) red, (b) amber or (c) green in their financial assessments.

Edward Argar: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Members: Correspondence

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place his Department's correspondence with the Health and Safety Executive regarding gowns purchased by Clandeboye for use by the NHS during the covid-19 pandemic in the Library.

Edward Argar: The Department does not hold any relevant correspondence from the Health and Safety Executive.

Clipper Logistics

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a monthly breakdown of the cost of Clipper Logistics' contract with NHS Supply Chain Logistics' service provider to support the additional demand of covid and PPE between March 2020 to September 2021.

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value is of the contract between NHS Supply Chain’s Logistics Service Provider and Clipper Logistics from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022.

Edward Argar: A table showing the monthly cost of the Clipper Logistics contract with NHS Supply Chain’s service provider, Unipart Logistics, from March 2020 to September 2021 is attached.A new subcontract was entered into on 1 October 2021 and is fixed until 31 March 2022. The cost of this contract from October 2021 to January 2022 is £30.82 million. The forecast expenditure from February to 31 March 2022 is £14.1 million.TABLE (docx, 20.4KB)

NHS

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to publish an update to the NHS Long Term Plan.

Edward Argar: The Department and NHS England intend to publish an update to the NHS Long Term Plan later this year, taking account of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NHS: Redundancy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any NHS staff have been made redundant while suffering from long covid; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: This information requested is not collected centrally.The redundancy terms for employees are outlined under Section 16 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. Any decision to enter into redundancy arrangements must be mainly or wholly attributable to the fact that:- the employer or the business need for which the employee was appointed has ceased, or is intended to cease or the type of number of roles needed to carry out a particular kind of work has changed; and- the need for staff to carry out work in the place they were originally employed has ceased or is relocating.

Care Workers: Pay

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on increasing care staff pay and conditions to the level of those of NHS staff in comparable roles.

Gillian Keegan: No specific stakeholder engagement is planned. However, we have regular engagement with stakeholders, including representatives of providers, local authorities, unions and people with lived experience, where pay and terms and conditions are discussed.Unlike those employed by the National Health Service, the vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and conditions, independent of central Government. It is the responsibility of local authorities to work with care providers to determine a fair rate of pay based on local market conditions.

Coronavirus: Screening

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support is being offered to care providers who are financing the testing of staff for covid-19 following the ending of universal free testing.

Gillian Keegan: To support care providers to conduct testing, we have provided a total of £523 million in funding to the sector since December 2020, with £126.3 million announced in September to help with costs associated with testing until 31 March 2022.We will continue to review the appropriate support and guidance for the sector to manage the virus in care settings and protect those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Further details on the adult social care testing regime after 1 April 2022 will be provided in due course.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the outbreak of covid-19 on the demand for urgent NHS specialist eating disorder treatment in Kent and Medway.

Gillian Keegan: We have made no specific assessment.However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that Kent and Medway’s All Age Eating Disorder Service (AAEDS) introduced the role of a paediatric liaison nurse to aid collaborative working links between services and improve the patient journey. This role also allows for specific eating disorder training to be delivered to acute care colleagues. AAEDS has also introduced bi-weekly meetings between the service, acute medical wards and the provider collaborative to allow prompt, safe discharge from acute medical wards.Since March 2020, an additional £1.7 million has been invested in the Kent and Medway AAEDS to address increased demand and complexity of cases. There are plans through adult community mental health transformation to further enhance the service with investment proposed during 2022/23.

Disability Data Working Group

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2022 to Question 105652 on Disability, whether the first meeting of the Disability Data Working Group went ahead as planned in February 2022; if he will publish the minutes of the first meeting; and when the working group is due to meet next.

Gillian Keegan: The first meeting of the Disability Data Working Group was held on 15 February 2022. A copy of the minutes is attached, which have been redacted to remove personal information. The meetings are intended to be held quarterly and we are currently liaising with partners to agree a date for the next meeting.Disability Data Working Group (DDWG) Minutes (docx, 43.8KB)

Mental Health Services: Tees Valley

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been admitted to mental health hospitals in Teesside in each of the last five years.

Gillian Keegan: The information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of women in contact with National Health Service-funded secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services who were admitted to hospitals within Tees, Esk And Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust as part of their treatment from 2017 to 2021.20171,64020181,69020191,57020201,50020211,470 Source: Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS), NHS Digital.Notes:The data used for December 2021 is provisional.As this is provider level data, counts have been rounded to the nearest five in line with MHSDS disclosure rules.

Social Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Community Integrated Care’s report entitled Unfair To Care.

Gillian Keegan: No formal assessment has been made. The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay, independent of central Government. Local authorities work with care providers to determine a fair rate of pay based on local market conditions.

Palliative Care

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to research by Cardiff University’s Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, Public attitudes to death and dying in the UK, published on 2 November 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in that report that over three quarters of people in the UK think that end of life care should be of equal priority to the NHS as care for people at any other stage of life; and what steps he is taking to ensure that palliative care services are available to all people a terminal illness who need them.

Gillian Keegan: Although no specific assessment has been made, the National Health Service is required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services as part of a comprehensive health service. The Government tabled an amendment to the Health and Care Bill which will add palliative care to the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission.To support local commissioners, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed seven palliative and end of life care strategic clinical networks, working with ICBs to develop and implement sustainable commissioning models for palliative and end of life care which respond to the needs of their local population.

Integrated Care Boards: Palliative Care

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) provide statutory guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the requirement to commission specialist palliative care and (b) publish a timeframe for that guidance being available.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for issuing statutory guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) in relation to their commissioning functions. This includes in relation to the commissioning of palliative care, the definition of services and ensuring that ICBs fulfil their obligations in relation to all their functions.There is currently a range of guidance available to commissioners regarding the provision of palliative and end of life care including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s evidence-based guidance and quality standard, which was updated in September 2021.In 2016, NHS England and NHS Improvement published guidance on specialist level palliative care for people with progressive, life-limiting illness who have complex needs. The guidance available will be kept under review and updated as required, to ensure it best meets the needs of commissioners.

Diabetes: Ukraine

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking help people in Ukraine who suffer from diabetes and are at risk of running out of insulin.

Gillian Keegan: The United Kingdom has provided more than two million items of medical supplies to Ukraine as of 18 March 2022. We have delivered over 300,000 individual doses of medicines, as well as medical consumables such as syringes and needles. Further delivery of medicines to Ukraine is continuing, including several thousand doses of insulin.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 125511 tabled by the hon. Member for St. Albans on 18 February 2022.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 125511.

Coronavirus: Surveys

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will reconsider the decision that the UKHSA will scale down the COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) announced in the Government’s Living with COVID-19 Strategy, published on 21 February 2022.

Maggie Throup: We have now begun a new phase of living with the virus, as outlined in ‘COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19’ published on 21 February 2022. The Government will continue monitoring the virus through maintaining surveillance studies such as the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey and other data sources, including genomic sequencing. We will keep all surveillance activities under review.

Carers: Coronavirus

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will extend the provision of free covid-19 tests to unpaid carers of clinically vulnerable individuals in the community.

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will extend the provision of free covid-19 tests to the unpaid carers of clinically vulnerable individuals in the community.

Gillian Keegan: The testing regimes for adult social care after 1 April 2022 are currently under review. Further details will be provided in due course.

Coronavirus: Screening

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice the Government has provided to pharmacies regarding the distribution of free lateral flow tests that are not for resale after 31 March 2022.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice he has given to pharmacies on the distribution of covid-19 lateral flow tests that are not for resale after 31 March 2022; and whether they will be required to provide those lateral flow tests to people for free.

Maggie Throup: Pharmacies have been advised to distribute all their remaining stock before the end of the service on the 31 March 2022 to minimise the amount of surplus stock. There will be no process in place for collecting unused kits from pharmacies at the end of the service and the UK Health Security Agency are discouraging the destruction of test kits. Pharmacy teams can use their knowledge of their local communities to proactively distribute test kits. This may include distribution to people who are National Health Service staff, carers, the clinically vulnerable, digitally excluded or anyone who in the professional opinion of the pharmacist would benefit.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will maintain free covid-19 testing in line with the Welsh Government in the context of increasing cases of covid-19 and admissions to hospital and intensive care.

Maggie Throup: From 1 April 2022, free universal access to lateral flow device tests for the public in England will end. We will continue to make testing available for a small number of at risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be made available in due course.

Care Homes: Visits

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's guidance that visitors to care homes may be required to a lateral flow test before visiting, what steps he is taking to ensure that those tests are provided free of charge.

Gillian Keegan: The testing regime in adult social care after 1 April 2022 is currently under review and we will set out further details in due course.

Sugar: Consumption

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to introduce further measures to prevent the widespread consumption of sugar in the UK.

Maggie Throup: The fourth report on sugar reduction is expected in 2022. It covers the food and drink included in the programme, as well as drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. It also includes the second year of data for juice and milk-based drinks, not included in the levy.The Government is receiving expert advice and keeping abreast of international evidence on the implementation of regulatory food and drink policies to consider next steps for sugar reduction and the wider reformulation programme.

Coronavirus: Screening

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 February 2022 to Question 119864, what the evidential basis is for the statement that (a) approval of covid-19 tests for private use falls under the Coronavirus Test Devices Approvals regulation (CTDA) and (b) only devices that meet the high regulatory standards are available to the British public, in the context of known Chinese-manufactured tests that have not been assessed under the CTDA process.

Maggie Throup: The Medical Devices (Coronavirus Test Device Approvals) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (CTDA) provides a regulatory framework for manufacturers and their representatives seeking to sell COVID-19 tests in-scope of the legislation on the private market or supply tests to private sector testing services in the United Kingdom. It establishes standards to protect consumers and enable high quality tests to enter the market, regardless of the country of origin.A test must either be approved under the CTDA or be included in a protocol that lists tests that are allowed to remain on the market while their CTDA application is being processed. Tests on the protocol list have received a form of verification, evaluation or validation elsewhere in the public sector, therefore their performance expected to be sufficient to protect public health. The protocol is a temporary measure and long-term access to the UK market is achieved only via CTDA approval.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of online applications for Healthy Start prepaid cards, submitted by beneficiaries already in receipt of the paper vouchers, have been rejected and, of these, how many rejections have been overturned.

Maggie Throup: The NHS Business Services Authority does not collect the information requested. Existing Healthy Start beneficiaries who believe they are eligible and have had an unsuccessful online application are encouraged to apply again.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to support research into intra-nasal covid-19 vaccines.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into intra-nasal covid-19 vaccines.

Maggie Throup: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR and UK Research and Innovation have funded rapid research to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including on nasal administration of vaccines. Approximately £580,000 in funding was awarded to Imperial College London towards a study looking at safety and lower airway immunogenicity of two candidate COVID-19 vaccines administered to the respiratory tract. Additionally, the NIHR is providing infrastructure support to two phase one studies in this area, including the study at Imperial College London. As the largest public funder of health and care research, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccines.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.

Michelle Donelan: The department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions. Information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report. The department also publishes the progress against emissions reduction targets in their own Annual Reports and Accounts.

Schools: Discipline

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding he has made available for specific interventions designed to improve behaviour in (a) England, (b) each region of England and (c) each local authority area in England in each of the last fifteen years.

Mr Robin Walker: We do not hold the information in the format requested. Schools and local authority areas in England are not allocated funding specifically for behaviour as part of the schools grant. There have, however, been several individual programmes to fund behaviour interventions over the last fifteen years.Up until financial year 2007/08, there was funding to support local authorities in integrating behaviour and attendance into the Secondary National Strategy. After 2007/08, this was merged into local government funding and became un-ringfenced. In financial year 2006/07, 130 local authorities received funding allocations between £40,980 and £183,300, with a total for England of £12,244,181. In financial year 2007/08, 148 local authorities received funding allocations between £40,980 and £183,300, with a total for England of £13,761,080. Further information on behaviour funding allocations per local authority between 2006 and 2008 is available in the attached table.There was a Lead Behaviour School project in financial year 2010/11, through which several local authorities received £40,000 each for one year only. These local authorities were Wigan, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Wiltshire, Somerset, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Essex, Leicester City, Coventry, Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Hampshire, Kent and Devon.In April 2021, we launched the three year Behaviour Hubs programme, representing a £10 million investment in improving behaviour in schools. The programme enables schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures to work closely with schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour, alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers. The aim is to improve their culture and spread good practice across the country.There are currently 22 lead schools and 2 lead multi-academy trusts (MATs) across the country on the programme, representing 21 unique local authorities. In April 2022, a further 28 lead schools and 8 lead MATs, representing 25 different local authorities, will join the programme. When combined, this will mean that 43 unique local authorities will be the location of at least one Behaviour Hubs lead school and that all regions in England will be represented as part of the programme. We anticipate that, over the life of the programme, up to 700 partner schools will receive support from the Behaviour Hubs programme. 141971_table (pdf, 89.8KB)

Higher Education: Admissions

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a redistribution of student numbers between providers as a result of higher A-Level grades awarded in 2020 and 2021 on (a) students’ experiences and (b) providers’ finances.

Michelle Donelan: The department has monitored data on student numbers at each provider as the admissions cycle concluded. This analysis was undertaken in calendar years 2020 and 2021 and helped to establish which providers were oversubscribed.Along with conversations with the sector, this informed the department’s decision to put in place a package of support in calendar years 2020 and 2021, which included providing up to £10 million in additional grant funding to universities through the Office for Students (OfS), to help them to increase capacity in medical, dentistry, nursing, and high-cost science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. The full package of support for calendar years 2020 and 2021 is set out in the ‘Regulating the financial sustainability of higher education providers in England’ report, available here: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/regulating-the-financial-sustainability-of-higher-education-providers-in-england/ in the “key facts” section under “key themes”.The department is in regular touch with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, as well as the OfS to understand trends in student concerns. We receive the latest information and data about student complaints, which allows early warning of any significant change in the pattern of complaints.The OfS is responsible for monitoring the financial health of the higher education sector in England, engaging more closely with those it considers at risk. In December 2021, the OfS reported that despite the many operational and financial challenges arising from the pandemic, the overall financial position of universities, colleges and other registered providers has remained sound over the course of the last year, with generally reasonable financial resilience.

Higher Education: Finance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Office for Students has an integrated model to assess the potential impact of ongoing, multiple and systemic risks to the financial sustainability of higher education providers.

Michelle Donelan: The department is encouraged by the National Audit Office’s conclusion that the Office for Students (OfS) makes good use of the financial data it collects, analysing it in a systematic and structured way to identify higher education (HE) providers for closer scrutiny.The OfS has announced that they are planning to enhance data collection through the development of an integrated model. The model will bring together and assess the impacts of ongoing, multiple, and systemic risks to financial sustainability, and carry out sensitivity analysis or test scenarios. The department is confident that this will subsequently help inform the OfS’ assessment of risk in individual providers.Department officials also meet regularly with the OfS to maintain an up to date understanding of their work.The department will observe the development of the integrated model through various engagements. It will specifically do so through the HE financial sustainability oversight group. The group is a cross government, departmental and non-departmental public body group whose purpose is to carry out collective oversight of the financial sustainability of the HE sector in England.

Office for Students: Standards

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Office for Students has a full set of key performance indicators against which its performance can be measured.

Michelle Donelan: The Office for Students (OfS) sets out on its website its 26 key performance measures (KPMs), available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/about/measures-of-our-success/. These are the main tools for the OfS to understand whether they are delivering the right outcomes for students.The OfS plans to review its KPMs once it has finalised its new strategy for calendar years 2022 to 2025, which it is launching on Wednesday 23 March 2022. Department officials will continue to work closely with the OfS to review and jointly agree these KPMs to ensure that they reflect new challenges and priorities.KPMs are just one part of how the department oversees the performance of the OfS. Ministers also issue statutory guidance to the OfS under section 2(3) of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, and that guidance is published on the OfS website.Senior officials also meet quarterly with the OfS chair and chief executive to formally review the OfS’s performance against the department’s strategic aims and priorities. I meet with the OfS chair and chief executive monthly to discuss priorities and challenges to achieving these.

Universities: Remote Education

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support and (b) offer redress to university students whose face-to-face teaching has been replaced by online and pre-recorded lectures since the lifting of covid-19 restrictions.

Michelle Donelan: Higher education (HE) providers have delivered new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and some providers continue to use some of these approaches alongside in-person provision. However, online learning should only be offered to enhance the student experience, not to detract from it, and it should not be used as a cost-cutting measure.The department has written to all English HE providers to make clear that we expect them to be offering a high-quality face-to-face student experience and, on 17 January 2022, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote an open letter to students about face-to-face teaching, setting out what they can do if they feel they are not getting the teaching they signed up for. In addition, I have been speaking with a number of university Vice Chancellors to ensure they are offering students the amount of in-person teaching they should expect, including speaking with seven universities regarding concerns about their face to face teaching provision to ensure they are offering students the amount of in-person teaching they expect.In line with all other settings, HE providers should continue to conduct risk assessments for their particular circumstances. Risk assessments should take account of the approach to managing the virus in wider society, particularly now that all restrictions have been removed and the vaccine programme continues to be rolled out. Risk assessments should never be used to prevent providers delivering a full programme of face-to-face teaching and learning.HE providers are independent and autonomous bodies which are responsible for the management of their own affairs. If students have concerns about the delivery of their university courses, they should first raise them with their provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE to consider their complaint. Recommendations can include practical remedies as well as financial compensation where that is deemed appropriate.

Special Educational Needs: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West currently not able to take up a college place due to shortages of specialist staff working in the SEND sector.

Alex Burghart: Local authorities are best placed to understand the number of young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their area and the capacity of their local further education (FE) provision to accommodate these needs.The department does not currently collect data centrally on available capacity in high needs provision. However, we are continuing to work with local authorities to better understand future demand for SEND provision, including in FE settings, as we consider how we can best support the sector going forward.It is essential that all learners in the FE sector, including those with complex special needs, experience the highest quality teaching. The department recognises that teacher recruitment and retention can be challenging for providers. To support this, the government is investing £50 million in programmes designed to improve the supply and quality of FE teachers in the current financial year.In January 2022, we launched a recruitment campaign to raise awareness of the opportunities to teach in FE with a wider audience. For those choosing to specialise in SEND teaching in the FE sector, the department has also announced that we will offer tax-free training bursaries worth £15,000 each, for a further academic year of 2022/23. This will help to boost the supply of teachers with specialist training to support learners with SEND in the FE sector.The department is also investing £2.6 billion between 2022 and 2025 to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND, or who require alternative provision. This funding represents a transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will help deliver tens of thousands of new high needs places, including in post-16 and FE settings.

Students: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of students who have been diagnosed with covid-19 in the last week.

Mr Robin Walker: Data on the asymptomatic testing of students and pupils in schools, colleges, nurseries and higher education via lateral flow tests is published by the Department of Health and Social Care at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weekly-statistics-for-nhs-test-and-trace-england-3-to-9-march-2022. The data requested is in table 7 in the file titled 'Tests reported: 28 May 2020 to 9 March 2022'.

Schools: Agency Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many agency staff members have been used to support staff absences in schools in the last week.

Mr Robin Walker: Schools have the autonomy to recruit temporary staff according to their own circumstances. They have a number of options to fill staff absences, including through supply agencies.The department does not collect or hold the information that has been requested. Supply agencies are private organisations and are under no obligation to share this information.The department does not hold data on the general numbers of supply staff, or any data on whether they are actively deployed as supply teachers at any time.

Schools: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) pupils, (b) teachers and (c) support staff have been off school with covid-19 in the last week.

Mr Robin Walker: The latest data, up to 17 March 2022, on the number of pupils, teachers and support staff absent with COVID-19 is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Department for Education: LGBT+ People

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department leaves Stonewall's Diversity Champions scheme.

Michelle Donelan: The Department for Education’s Stonewall Diversity Champions membership expired in 2022. We are considering membership options following guidance in the new Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, so we can continue to support our staff. We remain committed to supporting all our LGBTQ+ staff and ensuring we create an inclusive environment for all.

Office for Students: Databases

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that higher education providers have a good understanding of (a) the reasons for which the Office for Students collects the data it does and (b) how it uses that data.

Michelle Donelan: The department has set out expectations in relation to the Office for Students (OfS) and reducing the data burden on higher education (HE) providers. This has been done in an announcement in September 2020, and in subsequent guidance letters to the OfS.The OfS provides a clear description for the uses of each data collection. This information is communicated regularly to providers through consultations as well as being displayed on the OfS website. Alongside the data collections, the OfS provides high-level descriptions on how it intends to use each data item. The OfS intends to review these descriptions as it reviews the contents of records to ensure that they are clear.The OfS provides detailed descriptions of all its data outputs and uses. This allows providers to understand exactly how it has used its data to inform regulatory metrics, publications, and funding.The OfS engages regularly with providers on data burden. Most recently, this was done through the data futures consultation and roundtable.

Students: Loans

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposal not to provide university students loans if prospective students have failed GCSE Maths and English, on the ability of young people from low-income households to attend university.

Michelle Donelan: We are currently consulting on the principle of a minimum eligibility requirement (MER) for access to student finance for those intending to study a degree-level qualification.We strongly believe that access to higher education should be based on a student’s attainment and ability to succeed, not their background. It is important that students, of all backgrounds, are not misdirected or encouraged towards courses that are unlikely to provide high-quality outcomes for them and good value for money.Evidence shows that students with poorer entry qualifications are less likely to complete their degree and get a ‘good’ classification, and more likely to have worse employment and degree outcomes.We are carefully considering the impact of the measures we have proposed and are seeking views on what would be a fair and proportionate level at which to set a minimum eligibility requirement, as well as the proposed exemptions. After our proposed exemptions are applied, 1% or fewer of total entrants would be affected by a minimum eligibility requirement set at either GCSE or A level. We will assess responses to the consultation before making the final decision.

Department for Education: Carbon Emissions

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.

Michelle Donelan: The department is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and making its estate and operations more sustainable and resilient to the impact of climate change. We report our performance against the Greening Government Commitments in line with agreed timescales. Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments annual reports.The department measures our water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and take steps to minimise waste and promote resource efficiency. We are committed to our target of an overall 56% reduction in our carbon emissions by financial year 2025 compared with 2017/18 emissions.The department is also due to publish a Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for the education and children’s services systems in April 2022, which will provide more detail on the steps we will take to measure and manage our carbon footprint.

Higher Education: Finance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role the higher education financial sustainability oversight group has; and whether he chairs that group as at 14 March 2022.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what threshold would have to be reached in order to trigger an intervention by his Department in the event of a higher education provider exiting the market.

Michelle Donelan: The higher education (HE) financial sustainability oversight group is a group formed of government officials and officials from non-departmental public bodies. Its purpose is to oversee the overall climate for HE provider financial sustainability and to identify emerging key risks and issues for the English HE sector as a whole.The group is chaired by the Senior Civil Servant who is responsible for HE financial sustainability. There is an established escalation process in place to keep ministers sighted on shared information, risks, and issues.There is no set threshold that would automatically trigger an intervention with individual HE providers. The Office for Students (OfS) collects financial data from HE providers. The OfS analyses the data to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector. Where the OfS identifies concerns about the financial viability of an HE provider, it will implement enhanced monitoring of that provider.In exceptional circumstances, the department has introduced time-limited, emergency funding schemes, such as the higher education restructuring regime established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it should be noted that the department would generally not financially intervene to save failing HE providers, as they are autonomous institutions responsible for their own business models.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ukrainian nationals who wish to study at university and who have been granted leave under the (a) Family route and (b) Homes for Ukraine route will have access to student finance.

Michelle Donelan: The government will look to support Ukrainian students as they reassess their options in the UK.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) recruitment, (b) development and (c) retention of specialist staff working in the Special Educational Needs and Disability sector; and if he will make a statement.

Will Quince: The department remains committed to increasing teacher starting salaries to £30,000 to ensure teaching remains an attractive graduate option. Our reformed initial teacher training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) and the new Early Career Framework (ECF), both developed with sector experts, will equip teachers with a clear understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). All teachers are teachers of SEND. ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level which includes the requirement that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. It is a legal requirement for qualified teachers of classes of pupils with sensory impairments to hold the relevant mandatory qualification. The department’s aim is to ensure a steady supply of teachers for children with visual, hearing, and multi-sensory impairment, in both specialist and mainstream settings. Teacher quality is the most important in-school determinant of pupil outcomes. Once teachers qualify and are employed in schools, headteachers use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils. Beyond the first few years of teaching, our priority is to help all teachers and school leaders to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers so every child in every classroom in every school gets the best start in life. Teacher retention is key to ensuring effective teacher supply and quality, and we are taking action to support teachers to stay in the profession and thrive. The department has published a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices.

Students: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department is providing to Universities on providing support and advice for Ukrainian students.

Michelle Donelan: The department has been working closely with the education sector and across government to ensure that Ukrainian students in the UK are supported during this difficult time. This includes new visa options for Ukrainian nationals, including students, announced by the Home Office. These will provide them with an opportunity to extend their leave or switch to a Graduate visa without having to leave the UK.Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance, should individuals’ finances be affected in the 2021/22 academic year. We continue to encourage providers to accept hardship applications from international students, including those from Ukraine, in the same way they did for the £85 million of additional hardship funding made available by the government last academic year to ensure support is given where it is most needed.I reconvened the higher education (HE) taskforce, bringing together representatives from across the sector to discuss how we can work together in supporting Ukrainian students. We are encouraging HE providers to be as flexible as possible to support prospective students impacted by the situation in Ukraine. There are still many courses available through UCAS that students can apply for. We would encourage them to engage in conversations with their preferred providers to understand the full range of options available specifically to them.The government will look to support Ukrainian students as they reassess their options in the UK.The department recognises that the current uncertainty means that many students may experience additional mental health challenges. Protecting student and staff wellbeing is vital. It is important students continue to be able to access the mental health and wellbeing support they need.We encourage students to stay in touch with their HE provider’s welfare teams, as these services are likely to continue to be an important source of support. Providers are not only experts in their student population, but are also best placed to identify the needs of their students.

Children: Dyslexia

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on children’s wellbeing of receiving an early diagnosis of dyslexia.

Will Quince: Early identification of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including dyslexia, is crucial in supporting the wellbeing of children and young people. It can ensure they receive the support they need to flourish in their education, and as they move into adult life.Under the Children and Families Act 2014, every mainstream school is required to identify and address the SEND of the pupils they support. They also must endeavour to make sure that every child or young person gets the support they need to succeed in their education.The department’s SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with dyslexia is not dependent on a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.

Universities: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that people arriving from Ukraine and due to go to university from September 2022 will have access to a university place.

Michelle Donelan: Alongside our allies, we are united in support for Ukraine. The department has been working closely with the education sector and across government to ensure that Ukrainian students are supported during this difficult time. The government is considering how best to support these students in continuing their education.I reconvened the higher education (HE) taskforce, bringing together representatives from across the sector to discuss how we can work together in supporting Ukrainian students. We are encouraging HE providers to be as flexible as possible to support prospective students impacted by the situation in Ukraine. There are still many courses available through UCAS that students can apply for. We would encourage them to engage in conversations with their preferred providers to understand the full range of options available specifically to them.The government will look to support Ukrainian students as they reassess their options in the UK.I will continue to work closely with key representatives to explore how the HE sector can collectively support Ukrainian students.

Nutrition: Health Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure all children are taught about healthy diets and how to cook nutritious food in school.

Will Quince: Cooking and nutrition are a discrete strand of the national curriculum for design and technology. This was introduced as part of the 2014 design and technology curriculum and is compulsory for key stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach children how to cook, with an emphasis on savoury dishes, and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. It recognises that cooking is an important life skill that will help children to feed themselves, and others, healthy and affordable food.A food preparation and nutrition GCSE was introduced in September 2016. It requires pupils to understand and apply the principles of food science, nutrition, and healthy eating when preparing and cooking food. The first exams in this new qualification were taken in summer 2018.Healthy eating is also covered in health education, as part of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum. The RSHE statutory guidance states that by the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet (including understanding calories and other nutritional content), the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals, the characteristics of a poor diet, and risks associated with unhealthy eating, (for example, obesity and tooth decay) and other behaviours (for example, the impact of alcohol on diet or health).The importance of a healthy diet is also included in the science curriculum. The primary and secondary science curriculum require pupils in maintained schools to be taught about nutrition, including what constitutes a healthy diet, the impact of diet on the way our bodies work and the consequences of an imbalanced diet. By the end of secondary school, pupils should know how to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks.Furthermore, the Levelling Up White Paper confirmed the department’s focus on school food quality and food education, including a commitment to launch a £5 million pilot to launch a school cooking revolution. This includes enriching the curriculum and providing bursaries for teacher training and leadership.

School Meals: Veganism

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has he made of requiring vegan meals to be provided in schools in England.

Will Quince: The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need during the school day.The government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and to provide healthy, tasty and nutritious food and drink. Compliance with school food standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, including academies and free schools.The department believes that head teachers, school governors, and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, particularly by considering local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. In doing so, the department expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements. For example, this includes reflecting dietary and cultural needs. School food policies work best when schools discuss them with parents and pupils, so that parents can raise pupils’ particular dietary needs.The government also recognises the valuable contribution plant-based foods and drinks make to the diet, alongside the contribution that fish and animal-based foods and drinks can have. For example, plant-based foods including beans, pulses, and meat and plant-based drinks are included in the government’s Eatwell Guide, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide. These foods are highlighted within the food groups of the guide, as they can be considered more environmentally sustainable and promote a diet that is lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre.

Childminding: Coronavirus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason guidance states that childminders cannot operate if they have a positive or suspected covid-19 case in their household, despite the removal of legal self-isolation requirements on 24 February 2022.

Will Quince: Since 17 March 2022, if someone in a childminder’s household has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms, childminders can continue to operate at home.Childminders are advised to follow the steps below to reduce the risk of onward transmission:The person who has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms should avoid contact with the children being cared for in the home.Where possible, use separate toilets and handwashing facilities. If this is not possible, maintain extra cleaning and hygiene routines, particularly after the person has used the facilities.Notify parents, carers, and any assistants that someone has tested positive or has COVID-19 symptoms, as soon as reasonably possible and maintain open communication with them throughout.Consider the need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with mitigations, such as ventilation and extra cleaning and hygiene routines. They should be applied where practical and safe to do so. Additional information on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available in the guidance published by the Cabinet Office, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae?utm_source=17%20March%202022%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19.Comply with health and safety law by reviewing risk assessments in place. The risk assessment must demonstrate that the provision of childcare in the home is safe, and how any additional but proportionate measures will be put into place.Childminders can also consider using alternative places to operate, such as other childminders’ houses, where possible.

Ministry of Justice

Barristers

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the change in the number of full time and part time criminal barriers was from 2019/20 to 2020/21.

James Cartlidge: Data on the number of criminal barristers is available in the published Data Compendium which you can find here [link] on the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review page. We are working on making the 2020/21 data available. As part of the Criminal Legal Aid Review, MOJ worked with the Bar Council and other stakeholders to combine key datasets which were summarised in a published Data Compendium. This shows that the number of self-declared full practice criminal barristers in England and Wales who carried out some publicly funded criminal work, was 2,780 in 2018-19 and 2,690 in 2019-20 (Table 5.3). The number of barristers who completed any public criminal work in 2018-19 was 3790 and 3680 in 2019-20 (Table 5.3). We are working on making the 2020-21 data available. The pandemic and the drop in the number of cases in the Crown Court in recent years will have had an impact on the numbers of criminal barristers completing work, which has been reflected in the figures. This is because legally aided work is demand led and volumes depend on the number of cases requiring a barrister. Authorisation to practice data from the Bar Standards Board also suggests that some criminal barristers have been diversifying their legal practice away from crime. We are reforming the criminal legal aid sector to put it on a sustainable footing for years to come. Criminal legal aid lawyers are set for the biggest pay boost in a decade as we are spending an extra £135 million every year – in line with an independent review of the system.

Courts

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court rooms have been in use on average in each court in England and Wales in each of last 12 months.

James Cartlidge: Over the time period requested, the number of court and tribunal rooms available for use has increased by over 8%. We allocated over a quarter of a billion pounds to support recovery in the last financial year, making court buildings safe, rolling out new technology for remote hearings, recruiting additional staff, and opening Nightingale courtrooms, including retaining 32 Crown jury courtrooms until the end of March 2022. The total number of rooms recorded as available for use in all courthouses and tribunal hearing centres in England & Wales over the past 12 months is as follows:End of month snapshotNumber of courthouses & tribunal hearing centresNumber of rooms available 28 February 20213512,20431 March 20213532,21130 April 20213572,21831 May 20213602,23430 June 20213602,23931 July 20213582,31131 August 20213572,30830 September 20213572,33431 October 20213552,33830 November 20213582,37031 December 20213582,38431 January 20223582,391Because a number of locations contain multiple jurisdictions (i.e. include both courts and tribunals) and rooms which are used flexibly, it is not possible to provide data for just courtrooms without artificially deflating the number of rooms actually available for court use. The data includes all permanent and Nightingale rooms but excludes the court and other hearing rooms within the Royal Courts of Justice Group.

Prisons: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on increasing the number of prison places in Staffordshire.

Victoria Atkins: We are investing £3.8 billion over the next three years to deliver 20,000 additional, modern prison places, including 2,000 temporary prison places, across England and Wales, by the mid-2020s. This includes 60 places at HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall in Staffordshire. Sites have not yet been confirmed for all additional spaces. Feasibility and scoping work have been initiated to identify expansion opportunities across the existing estate. Final decisions will be taken on each site once site surveys and investigations have been completed.

Human Rights

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to the Human Rights Act on human rights protections in the UK.

James Cartlidge: Our proposals to replace the Human Rights Act with a Bill of Rights would tackle the abuse of the human rights framework and restore some common sense to our justice system. We want to ensure there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our national security and effective government.

P&O Ferries: Redundancy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ascertain whether P&O Ferries had sought a legal injunction to remove dismissed staff from their vessels.

James Cartlidge: Applications for injunctions of this type are made to the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court. As at 22 March 2022 no injunction applications have been made by P&O Ferries seeking to remove dismissed staff from their vessels.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish figures for (a) proven youth reoffending rate and (b) the average number of reoffences (frequency rate) for each Local Justice Area in England and Wales for (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2019-20 and (iii) 2020-21.

Victoria Atkins: Proven youth reoffending statistics are not available by Local Justice Area. Youth reoffending figures by region are published as part of the Proven Reoffending Statistics release and can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1049794/Geographical_data_tool_apr08_mar20_Final.xlsx. Equivalent figures for 2020/21 will be published on 26 January 2023.

Homicide: Children

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on sentencing for people found guilty of the murder of a child.

James Cartlidge: The Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill, currently before Parliament, will make essential reforms to sentencing legislation to ensure that criminals face punishments which fit their crimes. The PCSC Bill has added the murder of a child involving a substantial degree of premeditation to the list of examples where a whole life order is normally the appropriate starting point. The Bill is expected to gain Royal Assent shortly. The PCSC Bill also includes provisions to increase the maximum penalties for child cruelty offences including causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult. A consequence of increasing the maximum penalty for that offence from 14 years to life imprisonment is that offenders sentenced to 7 years or more will spend two thirds of the sentence, rather than half, in custody. If the judge determines that the offender is dangerous and the circumstances of the offence are sufficiently serious, a life sentence for that offence will be mandatory.

Marriage: Humanism

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an (a) economic and (b) equalities impact assessment of bringing forward legislative proposals for humanist marriages ahead of the outcome of the Law Commission's review of marriage law.

Tom Pursglove: The Government consulted in 2014 on marriages by non-religious belief organisations. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups. Its summary assessment of costs and benefits was published in the response, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/marriages-by-non-religious-belief-organisations. To ensure we are considering the implications of changing the law on marriage on all groups, we invited the Law Commission to undertake a review which is currently underway and is expected to report in July of this year. By looking at the law comprehensively, the Law Commission will seek to put forward proposals that would ensure that, insofar as possible, groups and couples are all subject to the same rules, costs, and the same level of regulation. That reform is not possible by only authorising Humanist weddings, even on a temporary basis pending the Law Commission report. The Government will reconsider this issue on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

Marriage: Humanism

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals recognising humanist marriages in advance of wider marriage law reform following a positive report from the Law Commission.

Tom Pursglove: In 2014, the Government published a consultation paper and response assessing the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups. To ensure we are considering the implications of changing the law on marriage on all groups, we invited the Law Commission to undertake a review which is currently underway and is expected to report in July of this year. By looking at the law comprehensively, the Law Commission will seek to put forward proposals that would ensure that, insofar as possible, groups and couples are all subject to the same rules and the same level of regulation. That reform is not possible by only authorising Humanist weddings, even on a temporary basis pending the Law Commission report. The Government will carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations when the final report is published in July, and it is right for us to wait for the outcome of the report before amending marriage law any further.

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of waiving all tax on the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants with a rebate on the amount paid to reduce the risk of people being unable to manage payment plans and saving for their 2021-22 tax bill.

Lucy Frazer: I refer the Hon Member to the answer that was given on 25 February 2022 to UIN 127486.

Revenue and Customs: Artificial Intelligence

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) artificial intelligence, and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC are using up to date technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to deliver data and insight into the hands of their decision makers. This helps HMRC to focus on minimising the tax gap and makes the tax system more intuitive for taxpayers. HMRC use AI methods across all their business areas. AI and ML outputs are validated with human oversight before being implemented. HMRC are in the process of standardising their AI ethical framework in order to ensure it is consistently applied across the organisation.

Refugees: Ukraine

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help Ukrainian refugees who have fled to the UK to exchange their physical currency for sterling.

John Glen: The government will monitor if steps are needed to support financial services provision for Ukrainian refugees in the UK’s marketplace. Participants in industry have highlighted measures they have taken to support refugees and their access to essential financial services. The Government recognises that access to a current account is key to enabling people to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely, and confidently. The nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers in the UK who do not have a bank account or who are not eligible for a bank’s standard current account. Customers must be lawfully resident in the UK to be eligible, and this includes Ukrainian nationals who have entered the UK under the Ukrainian Scheme and Ukrainian Family Scheme.

Fuels: Prices

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide specific support to community health and care staff on the increased cost of fuel.

Helen Whately: In response to fuel prices reaching their highest ever levels, the government announced at Spring Statement 2022 a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. This is the largest cash-terms cut across all fuel duty rates at once, ever, and is only the second time in 20 years that main rates of petrol and diesel have been cut. This cut represents savings for households and businesses worth around £2.4 billion in 2022-23.

Minimum Wage

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) companies pay their employees the minimum wage and that (b) police forces are able to enforce related legal standards.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. HMRC enforce the NMW and the National Living Wage (NLW) on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff, and HMRC won’t hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to and continue to crack down on employers who ignore the law. Since 2015 HMRC has secured over £115 million for more than 1.1 million workers. HMRC considers all complaints from workers. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on: 0300 123 1100, or report their employer online here: www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint. Consequences for not complying with paying NMW can include fines of 200 per cent of the arrears, public naming and, for the most serious offences, criminal prosecution. As well as investigating worker complaints HMRC also undertake proactive investigations (referred to as targeted enforcement) based on the identification of the risk of non-compliance with NMW legislation. In addition to enforcement, HMRC also deliver a programme of education and upstream ‘Promote’ work designed to help businesses understand their obligations and encourage them to comply. This involves a range of activities to increase both employers’ and workers’ understanding of NMW rules including one-to-many letters, webinars, podcasts, and media campaigns. Breaches of NMW legislation are normally a civil matter, but HMRC will refer the most serious cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where HMRC identify an offence under Section 31 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 involving obstruction, falsifying of documents, or wilful failure to pay workers the minimum wage. HMRC may also refer NMW offences to the CPS for prosecution that form part of a pattern of suspected or potential criminality, for example, suspected tax fraud, or wider offences such as employing illegal workers. However, prosecutions can cause delays in recovering arrears for workers and do not necessarily guarantee payment, and consequently, prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance and is not necessarily the right approach in most cases. HMRC continues to work with other agencies, including the police, on joint operations to tackle NMW underpayment, and other labour market risks, such as illegal working and modern slavery, for which those agencies are responsible.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iraq and Syria: Islamic State

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the possibility of genocide committed against the Christian and Yazidi women by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to the prevention and punishment of genocide as appropriate under the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is party. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. This policy does not inhibit the UK from taking robust action to address the egregious human rights abuses committed by Daesh.We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidis, Christians and other minorities, as well as Muslim populations in Syria and Iraq. We note the conviction in a German court on 30 November 2021 of a former Daesh fighter for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. We are following this case and its review closely. We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.

Middle East: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to support Christians in the Middle East.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations. Multilaterally, we work with the UN, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, G7 and other fora to promote FoRB.In addition to our bilateral and multilateral action, we will host an international Ministerial conference on 5-6 July 2022, in London. The UK-hosted International Ministerial Conference on FoRB will drive forward international efforts on this agenda and demonstrate the UK's leading role in supporting freedom and openness. This conference will allow us to use our global influence to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all internationally.

European Solidarity Corps

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) devolved Administrations and (c) representatives of young people on the potential merits of the UK re-joining the European Solidarity Corps programme.

James Cleverly: The Government carefully considered which EU programmes to participate in during negotiations with the EU in 2020. Under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK and the EU agreed the terms for our participation in Horizon Europe, Euratom Research and Training, and Copernicus.The Government did not seek ongoing participation in the European Solidarity Corps. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK remains eligible for European Solidarity Corps activities funded by the 2014-2020 budget. Opportunities for young people is a priority for the Government and DCMS continues to focus on delivery of the National Youth Guarantee. In addition, DfE will continue to offer the UK's international education mobility programme, the Turing Scheme, providing opportunities for students in the UK to study and work across the globe.

Development Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to (a) conduct and (b) publish impact assessments for changes to levels of UK funding for (a) global health, (b) climate heating response and (c) conflict prevention and resolution in the forthcoming International Development Strategy.

James Cleverly: The FCDO conducts impact assessments as part of the annual business and country planning process, with reference to the UK's Public Sector Equality Duty (under the Equality Act 2010) and International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014. Official Development Assistance allocations, as part of the wider business and country planning process, will be strategically aligned with our future development direction as set out in the forthcoming International Development Strategy.In line with practice across Government, the FCDO will not formally publish these impact assessments. As the Foreign Secretary has set out to Parliament, if we were to publish all impact assessments, it would discourage the candour of advice officials prepared. As we move through the project cycle, we will also continue to review the actual impact of our spending.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Poland and Ukraine

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK officials are present on the Poland-Ukraine border.

James Cleverly: The UK has over 360 HMG staff working on the response to the crisis in the region, including in Ukraine and Poland. Our Rapid Deployment Team (RDT) has maintained a presence at the Poland-Ukraine border since 15 February. Humanitarian experts are currently based in Poland and we work closely with, and fund, trusted NGO partners and UN agencies that provide coordinated, largescale humanitarian response. There are Home Office staff at a Visa Support Centre in Rzeszow who are focused on helping Ukrainian refugees complete their visa application process, in addition to our enhanced visa operation in Warsaw. Finally, Consular officials at our Embassy in Warsaw are supporting the RDT in providing help to British nationals in need of assistance.

Development Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) global health, (b) climate heating response and (c) conflict prevention and resolution remain priorities (i) in the planed International Development Strategy and (ii) for her Department.

James Cleverly: We will publish a new International Development Strategy in the Spring setting out our approach on these issues. This will include how we will deliver our health, climate change and conflict prevention commitments.

Humanitarian Aid: Ukraine

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK humanitarian aid shipped to (a) Ukraine and (b) surrounding countries includes torches, battery packs and power packs.

James Cleverly: We have pledged £394 million of aid, which includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance. As part of this the UK has delivered more than 3.7 million medical items to the Government of Ukraine as well as thousands of blankets and hygiene kits to support displaced people in Moldova. UK funding will also help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, creating a lifeline to help Ukrainians access basic necessities.

Development Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on her plans for the International Development Strategy; and what assessment she has made of the impact on the UK's international reputation of her plans for that Strategy.

James Cleverly: The International Development Strategy (IDS) will continue to position the UK as a leader on international development. Building on the extensive evidence and engagement underpinning the Integrated Review, the FCDO and other involved Departments are consulting and engaging with a wide range of global partners, NGOs, businesses, and experts on the themes and analysis underpinning the IDS. This has included roundtables with stakeholders led by my ministers and senior officials, and a Wilton Park workshop with external experts. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders in implementing the strategy, once published.

Financial Institutions: Russia

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish a consolidated list of all Russian banks and comparable institutions which (a) are and (b) are not being sanctioned, together with an explanation of the decision not to impose sanctions on all the organisations listed and an estimate of the extent to which those which remain unsanctioned undermine the effectiveness of the sanctions against the Russian banking sector.

James Cleverly: The UK Sanctions List, published by the FCDO on GOV.UK, is the comprehensive list of persons or ships designated. Additionally, there are entities listed in Schedule 2 of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, which are covered by sectoral financial measures. The UK is working with our international partners to ensure any action is coordinated and has the maximum impact on parties involved in the unlawful invasion of Ukraine. We will continue to work with allies to identify targets as appropriate.We have made powerful designations including banking designations which will be the most significant financial sanctions in history. We have introduced asset freezes on major banks, a prohibition on clearing for Sberbank, and the removal of selected banks from SWIFT. We have cut off Russian banks with global assets of £348 billion as well as the central bank in Moscow. We are focusing on measures that have the greatest impact rather than the numbers.

Ukraine: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on the safety of women and child refugees fleeing Ukraine.

James Cleverly: We are committed to supporting Ukrainian women and girls, recognising the critical contribution women are making on the frontline and in communities affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The UK has pledged £220 million of humanitarian assistance to save lives and to protect vulnerable people, including women and children, inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries as they are forced to flee to safety.This builds on the UK's longstanding support to Ukraine, including through the Good Governance Fund and Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programmes. These programmes provide ongoing support to women and excluded groups' social, political and economic participation across the country. Since 2015, the UK has supported Ukraine's efforts to respond to and end Gender Based Violence (GBV) and has helped to establish 16 shelters, 5 crisis rooms, and 10 centres for GBV survivors across the country - this foundation is now vital in responding to the increased risk of violence against women and girls since the invasion began. We are also working closely with Education Cannot Wait on the design of an emergency education programme for children in Ukraine and in parallel a programme for refugees who are arriving in Moldova.

Development Aid

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department plans to announce the Official Development Assistance thematic allocations for 2022-23.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2022 to Question 138126, on Development Aid, when her Department plans to publish its annual report.

James Cleverly: We intend to publish our annual report pre-summer recess.

Ukraine: Refugees

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of support available to refugees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds leaving Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK has pledged £394 million of aid in response to the conflict in Ukraine, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance. This is delivered through humanitarian partners such as UNHCR, who are committed to providing aid in line with fundamental humanitarian principles, based solely on need and with no discrimination according to race (or other characteristic). A key part of the UK's humanitarian strategy in Ukraine is also to support humanitarian partners who record data and develop consolidated assessments of humanitarian needs, enabling us to ensure that our aid is delivered on an equitable basis.

Iraq and Syria: Islamic State

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the resurgence of the Islamic State group in (a) Syria and (b) Iraq.

Amanda Milling: Ensuring the defeat of Daesh and countering the terrorist threat posed in Syria, Iraq and beyond is a core priority for the UK Government. While Daesh no longer holds territory and their assets have been substantially degraded, we cannot be complacent. The recent attack on Ghwaryan prison in North East Syria, along with attacks in Iraqi provinces, underline the continuing threat Daesh poses both to the UK and regional stability, and thus the ongoing importance of the Global Coalition Against Daesh mission. The UK remains fully committed to working with our partners to ensure Daesh's global defeat.We condemn atrocities committed by Daesh against civilians and welcome efforts to bring Daesh to justice. We have contributed £2 million to the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD), to gather evidence of Daesh crimes in Iraq. Since 2012, we have also provided over £14 million in support of Syrian and international efforts to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations, including championing the work of the IIIM (International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism).

Peru: Visas

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Peruvian counterpart on the availability of visas for Peruvians who would like to travel to the UK.

Vicky Ford: Visas are a subject of regular discussion between the UK and the Peruvian Governments. Standard visit visa applications for Peruvians are currently taking on average six weeks to process, with some delays occurring due to the number of applications that were on hold during the pandemic. Peruvians wishing to apply for a visa to visit the UK can do so up to three months ahead of their travel.

Colombia: Internally Displaced People

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of report by The Council for Human Rights and Displacement which states that 10,698 people were affected by mass forced displacement in Antioquia, Colombia, between January and November of 2021 with most victims being from the indigenous community.

Vicky Ford: The British Government remains concerned about reports of confinement and threats made against human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities in Colombia. Colombia is an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country and UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government. Most recently, I raised human rights concerns when I spoke to Vice President Ramírez on 10 February. Officials from our Embassy in Bogotá also visited Antioquia to discuss security guarantees and preventive measures with different Government stakeholders to improve protection and security in that Department.To date, we have spent over £68 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the implementation of the peace agreement in Colombia and improve stability and security. Our funding is supporting the Colombian Government's rural development and reintegration programmes, transitional justice mechanisms, and strengthening the security and participation of communities in conflict-affected areas. We will continue to prioritise funding interventions to support at risk communities and victims, improve early warning and help tackle the root causes of the violence.

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies: Sanctions

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps has she taken to ensure that UK Government sanctions are being applied in the crown dependencies and overseas territories.

Amanda Milling: UK sanctions apply in all Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies either by Orders in Council or through each jurisdiction's own legislation (Guernsey, Jersey, Gibraltar and Bermuda legislate for themselves). The UK Government is in regular contact with the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to help improve implementation and discuss the impact of sanctions, and will continue to provide guidance and support where appropriate. The UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which sits within HMT, engages regularly with Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on compliance, enforcement and licensing. This engagement has assisted these jurisdictions in improving the implementation of financial sanctions across the wider British Family.

Saudi Arabia: Honours

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions officials from her Department have had with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia on the Prime Minister being presented with the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on his willingness to accept the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Amanda Milling: Neither the Foreign Secretary, nor officials from her department, have had any discussions regarding potential nomination of the Prime Minister for the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Environment Protection: Private Sector

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with international counterparts to protect global populations from damage caused by negligent exploitation of natural resources by private companies.

Vicky Ford: Good governance is essential if national economies and local communities in developing countries are to benefit from the exploitation of natural resources, such as mineral reserves and timber. This is necessary to ensure that revenues from natural resources are invested to support education, health and economic development and to ensure that natural resources provide jobs and benefits to local communities. For example, in the forest sector, the UK supports efforts to tackle illegal logging and promote trade in legal timber in global timber markets. UK support provided through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate programme (£280 million, 2011-23) ensures that illegal timber is eliminated from supply chains in countries with valuable forest resources, that the rights of local forest-dependent communities are respected and that companies in the timber industry are held accountable for their actions.The UK also works to promote reform in industries which are closely associated with the destruction of natural resources, such as forests and encourage companies to operate in ways that reflect best practice. For example, through Partnerships for Forests (£120 million, 2015-23), the UK supports public-private partnerships with companies operating in the palm oil, rubber, cocoa, coffee, soya and cattle industries, which are helping to protect and restore forests, provide local jobs and livelihoods and ensure recognition and respect for local community rights. This work is helping to drive bad practice out of these industries and protect local communities and global populations from the damage caused by deforestation.

Sri Lanka: Water

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2021 to Question 53270, what recent contact she has had with the Sri Lankan authorities about clean water provision in the north of the country since COP26; and if she will make a statement.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government maintains regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka on a wide range of environmental issues. The Minister for South Asia, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed opportunities for joint cooperation on environmental protection during his visit to Sri Lanka in January. We are supporting Sri Lanka through the new 7 year Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme. We will continue to engage with the Sri Lankan authorities in support of improved environmental conditions, including support of clean water provisions.

Malawi: Disaster Relief

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to communities in Malawi affected by Tropical Storm Ana.

Vicky Ford: Tropical storm Ana recently caused extensive damage to a densely populated and already food insecure part of Malawi. Earlier this month Tropical Storm Gombe affected many of the same areas. I spoke to President Chakwera on 2 February to express my condolences.The UK has given financial support to the multi-donor 'Start Fund'. This helped address the immediate needs of over 20,000 storm victims in the worst-hit districts, providing cash, food and clean water. FCDO Malawi's Building Resilience and Adapting to Climate Change programme also works in flood-affected districts, providing longer-term support for recovery including cash, agricultural support and infrastructure.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on her Department’s carbon footprint.

Vicky Ford: The FCDO monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions quarterly. Details are published annually in the Sustainability Report sections of FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts (page 57-73) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019938/FCDO_annual_report_and_accounts_2020_to_2021_accessible.pdf and the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/greening-government-commitments#annual-reports

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Armed Forces

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) size and (b) location of Azov territorial defence units in Ukraine.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Guided Weapons

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times enhanced blast variants of the AGM-114N Hellfire missile have been used by UK armed forces since June 2009.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether enhanced blast variants of the AGM-114N Hellfire missile used by UK armed forces in Afghanistan were assessed to have caused any civilian casualties.

James Heappey: It is policy that we do not release details of Hellfire missile employment by sub-variant as to do so could provide details of our capabilities and tactics. Consequently, I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.The UK does everything it can to mitigate the risk to civilian life from UK strikes through our rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of the RAF crews. All missions are meticulously planned, and every care is taken to ensure we minimise civilian casualties.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk of Ukraine’s Azov movement acquiring access to UK-supplied weapons; and whether he has taken steps to mitigate that risk.

James Heappey: Rigorous risk assessments, together with the application of appropriate mitigation measures where appropriate, have been undertaken in relation to the provision of UK defensive capabilities to Ukraine.As UK-supplied weapons have been issued to the National Guard, it is likely that members of the Azov battalion have had access to UK-supplied weapons.The National Guard falls under the Interior Ministry however, under the current circumstances of Martial Law, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence are likely to have operational command of the National Guard.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any members of Ukraine's Azov movement have access to UK-supplied anti-aircraft weapons.

James Heappey: The UK is taking a lead role in coordinating the humanitarian and military support to Ukraine. This includes lethal aid in the form of defensive weapons, and non-lethal aid such as body armour.Anti-aircraft weapons (Starstreak) are being issued to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for them to use for the purpose of defending their sovereign country. Under the current circumstances, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence is likely to have operational command of the National Guard, which also includes the Azov battalion. All shipments of lethal aid to Ukraine are being carefully calibrated against the current context on the ground

Dstl

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide details of all the bodies which DSTL warned of potential non-compliance with health and safety regulations in September 2014.

Jeremy Quin: I assume the right hon. Gentleman is referring in particular to Ajax. I refer him to the Ajax Health and Safety Report, published on 15 December 2021, which contains a chronological assessment of concerns raised about the project including by Dstl. I have no doubt this will also be studied by the follow-on review.

Ministry of Defence: Buildings

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the report by the National Audit Office, Optimising the defence estate, published in June in 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) potential impact of closure of sites on local communities and economies and (b) compatibility of HM Treasury's policy on seeking best financial return with local needs and aspirations for renewal of those sites.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence has a requirement to deliver its defence tasks as efficiently as possible and where sites are no longer required or critical defence tasks are better met through using another site this includes their disposal. Individual social and/or economic assessments are not routinely conducted as part of this process, however, the Department continues to work closely with local authorities to determine the impact of these decisions and how we can release surplus military sites for meaningful future use.

Army: Weapons

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the L127 A4 fuze is in service for use with 81mm or 60mm mortars by the British army as of 16 March 2022.

Jeremy Quin: The L127 A4 fuze is no longer in service.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Students

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in Universal Credit eligibility rules for students in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits brought about by The Universal Credit (Exceptions to the Requirement not to be receiving Education) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 on those students.

David Rutley: The new regulations do not reduce the existing support which is correctly available to disabled students. They ensure this support comes from the appropriate source of funding: the student support system of loans and grants. These new regulations do not remove entitlement to UC from any existing disabled student who is currently receiving it. They do not remove it from any future claim to UC from a person who is entitled to a qualifying disability benefit, such as Personal Independence Payment, who is subsequently determined to have a limited capability for work and who wishes to start a course of education. Furthermore, any adult who has reached the 1st September following their 19th birthday, who is undertaking a full-time non-advanced course (i.e. up to Level 3) for which a maintenance grant is not payable, or a part-time course at any level, is entitled to Universal Credit provided their course is compatible with work-related requirements agreed with their work coach. Where the course is work-related and will give the person the best chance of securing work, the work coach may consider it a suitable work preparation activity. In such cases, time spent on the course will be deducted from the amount of time the person needs to spend looking for work.

Poverty

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Households Below Average Income statistics, how many households were categorised as living in poverty after housing costs in each year since 2000.

David Rutley: Table 1: Households in poverty after housing costs  Relative Poverty AHC (millions)Relative Poverty AHC (percentage)Absolute Poverty AHC (millions)Absolute Poverty AHC (percentage)2000/2001*5.924.4%7.430.3%2001/2002*5.723.7%6.627.2%2002/20035.722.9%6.425.8%2003/20045.421.8%5.923.7%2004/20055.120.5%5.421.6%2005/20065.321.0%5.521.7%2006/20075.622.2%5.622.1%2007/20085.622.0%5.521.5%2008/20095.621.6%5.521.3%2009/20105.721.9%5.521.2%2010/20115.521.0%5.521.0%2011/20125.621.0%5.821.8%2012/20135.621.0%5.922.0%2013/20145.721.1%5.921.6%2014/20155.821.3%5.620.4%2015/20166.021.8%5.520.0%2016/20176.322.5%5.620.0%2017/20186.021.9%5.419.4%2018/20196.121.8%5.419.6%2019/20206.322.3%5.118.2% *Data before 2002/2003 is for Great Britain. Data from 2002/2003 onwards is for the United Kingdom. This government prefers to look at absolute poverty over relative poverty as relative poverty can provide counter-intuitive results. Relative poverty is likely to fall during recessions, due to falling median incomes. Under this measure, poverty can decrease even if people are getting poorer. The absolute poverty line is fixed in real terms, so will only ever worsen if people are getting poorer, and only ever improve if people are getting richer.

Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much expenditure by her Department was identified as fraudulent in the last three years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much expenditure by her Department that was identified as fraudulent was repaid to her Department in each of the last three years.

David Rutley: The Department publishes Fraud and Error estimates, as shown in the link, which include data on how much money was potentially lost to Fraud in each of the last 3 years. Fraud and Error in the benefit system is rare, but we know that organised criminals and opportunists sought to exploit the extraordinary circumstances of a global pandemic for gain. We took steps to stop this and estimate that we prevented nearly £3bn of additional fraud and error in 2020/21. fraud-and-error-stats-release-2020-2021-estimates-tables-xls.xlsx (live.com) These same statistics also indicate how much money was repaid by way of benefit debt. The totals include debts incurred through Fraud, Claimant Error, and where appropriate, Official Error. The repayment figures are: 20/21: £0.8bn (£0.5bn Housing Benefit and £0.3bn other DWP benefits)19/20: £1.0bn (£0.6bn Housing Benefit and £0.4bn other DWP benefits)18/19: £1.1bn (£0.7bn Housing Benefit and £0.4bn other DWP benefits) The slight fall in 20/21 was due in part to debt recovery being paused for three months from April 2020, so that Debt Management staff could support processing of the substantial rise in new Universal Credit claims, following the outbreak of coronavirus. Note that other benefits recovered by DWP, including Tax Credits and Advances, are not included in these totals.

Universal Credit: Visual Impairment

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the reasonable adjustments her Department has made for blind and sight impaired universal credit claimants to ensure that those claimants are able to access universal credit services online or by phone.

David Rutley: Universal Credit has been designed with accessibility in mind. We have automated accessibility tests continuously running and we regularly test the service with assistive technology, including screen readers and screen magnifiers. The claimant-facing side of Universal Credit was audited by the RNIB in 2016 and passed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at an AA standard. In 2020/2021, we again linked up with RNIB to trial and roll out external learning for our work coaches and disability employment staff in Universal Credit. This focused on providing additional support for our agents when working with sight loss customers and the support RNIB can offer. We are committed to further improving the service we provide and a further external accessibility audit is currently taking place. Our system generated letters are available in a variety of alternative formats, such as large print or Braille. We regularly review our communication products and are committed to providing personalised support for all claimants. If a claimant is unable to make a digital claim, they can make and maintain their claim via our Freephone Universal Credit helpline. A phone claim is also clearly marked on the service to remind DWP staff to use alternative channels to communicate information with a claimant and the claimant’s monthly award statement will be sent via post.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is the Risk Review Team's policy to suspend cases when fraud is suspected and not in cases where more evidence is required to determine eligibility.

David Rutley: The Risk Review Team only deal with cases where intelligence indicates that there is a high risk of fraud.In these cases, claims are suspended until such time as claimants can provide the evidence required in order for us to determine their eligibility.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the definition of fraud used by the Risk Review Team to determine which cases to investigate.

David Rutley: The definition of fraud, as reflected in our annually published statistics on Fraud and error in the Benefits System, can be found here:Background information: Fraud and error in the benefit system statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The Risk Review Team’s role forms part of DWP’s increasing focus on stopping such fraud from entering the benefits system.

Social Security Benefits: Habitual Residence Test

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the cases investigated by the Risk Review team were subsequently disallowed because of a failed Residence Test.

David Rutley: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Newcastle upon Tyne

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on who owns of the freehold of the Benton Park View site in Newcastle upon Tyne leased to HMRC and her Department.

Guy Opperman: The site is leased to HMRC who are DWP’s landlord. DWP does not hold information on the Freeholder of the Benton Park View Site in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Housing Benefit: Stockton on Tees

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many exempt accommodation premises there are in Stockton.

David Rutley: Providing the requested information would incur disproportionate costs to the Department.

Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2020 to Question 112080, Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made with each of the items listed.

Guy Opperman: There has been no fundamental change from the answer of 10 November 2020.

Employment and Support Allowance: Greater London

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Employment and Support Allowance claimants in (a) Feltham and Heston, (b) Hounslow and (c) London boroughs have had (i) mandatory reconsiderations, (ii) unsuccessful appeals to an independent tribunal and (iii) successful appeals to an independent tribunal in respect of payments of that benefit in each month in 2021.

Chloe Smith: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on the length of time taken to resume Employment and Support Allowance Payments following a successful appeal.

Chloe Smith: We aim to resume payment within 48 hours of receipt from HMCTS.

Access to Work Programme: Flexible Working

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the access to work programme facilitates flexible working.

Chloe Smith: Working with disabled people, Access to Work has developed a flexible offer to enable disabled people to take up flexible working arrangements. The Access to Work flexible offer contains a blended package of support, that complements standard adjustments and offers a tailored package of support to enable work in the workplace, at home, or a combination of both.

Cost of Living: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help support disabled people in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry meet the increased costs of living.

Chloe Smith: The Government is making sure that we continue to deliver the financial support that people need. In 2022/23 we estimate that we will spend over £63bn on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions in GB. The Government is also providing support worth over £22 billion this financial year and next to help families with the cost of living. We have cut the Universal Credit taper to make sure work pays. We are freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down and providing targeted support to help households with the cost of essentials. In addition to this, the Energy Bills Rebate will provide around 28 million households with an upfront discount on their bills worth £200.

Carer's Allowance

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of Carers Allowance payments to support unpaid carers meet the increased costs of living.

Chloe Smith: The Government recognises people are facing pressures with the cost of living which is why we are providing support worth over £22 billion across this financial year and next. On carers specifically, the Government continues to provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits. Real terms expenditure on Carer’s Allowance is forecast to be £3.1bn in 2021/22 and between 2021/22 and 2026/27 is forecast to increase by two-fifths (around £1.3 billion). By 2026/27, the Government is forecast to spend just under £4.4 billion a year on Carer’s Allowance. The weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance will increase to £69.70 in April 2022. This means that since 2010 it will have increased from £53.90 to £69.70 a week, providing an additional £800 a year for carers through Carer’s Allowance. The Government has chosen to focus extra support on those carers who need it most. Around 360,000 carer households on Universal Credit can receive an additional £1,965 a year through the Carer Element. This amount will increase from April 2022.

State Retirement Pensions: Falkland Islands

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2022 to Question 129842 on Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad, how many people in receipt of a UK pension currently reside in the Falkland Islands.

Guy Opperman: There are 79 people in receipt of a UK State Pension residing in the Falkland Islands, according to the latest available data.

Pension Credit: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been awarded pension credit in Hendon constituency in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: The following table shows the number of Pension Credit recipients since August 2017 in Hendon. YearPension Credit recipients in Hendon20173,35420183,16020193,03020202,90320212,832

Pension Credit

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) are eligible for and (b) claim pension credit in (i)Ealing Southall and in (ii) the UK.

Guy Opperman: The number of people eligible for Pension Credit is only available at the Great Britain level. In August 2021, 2,827 people were in receipt of Pension Credit in Ealing Southall and 1,420,085 in Great Britain.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will consider offering Access to Work applicants an extension to their grant where excessive delays to the renewal process is preventing them engaging a support worker.

Chloe Smith: Access to Work customers applying for a renewal of their award will, if eligible, have their funding award backdated to the end of their previous award where there have been delays in processing the application.We want to provide assurance for customers where their needs have not changed, they will continue to receive that funding.In response to the high volume of Access to Work applications, business processes have been reviewed, including the renewals process. As part of this, we will now treat applications that are classified as renewals for on-going support as a priority group.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to communicate delays to Access to Work (a) new applications and (b) renewals to scheme users to allow them to find support in the interim.

Chloe Smith: DWP notifies customers who are applying to Access to Work, or applying to renew their existing award, of the likely wait time for contact to be made to them by an Access to Work team member. This information is presented to the customer when they submit their application online or via telephone. It is also sent to the customer by e-mail or SMS message, depending on the contact details held. DWP also shares relevant information on application timelines with stakeholder groups for them to communicate to the people they represent or work with.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current waiting time is for Access to Work (a) new applications and (b) renewals.

Chloe Smith: The Access to Work average wait times from application to a decision being made, for February 2022, are: New claims – 43.4 working daysRenewals – 34.4 working days Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Landfill

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to reduce the amount of waste generated in the UK to landfill in (a) the UK and (b) other countries.

Jo Churchill: We committed in the Net Zero Strategy to explore policies to work towards eliminating all biodegradable waste to landfill by 2028. Our ambitious Resources and Waste Strategy set a target of less than 10% of municipal residual waste to landfill by 2035.We are making good progress with these commitments with a substantial decrease in the amount of local authority managed waste sent to landfill from 79% in 2000/01 to 8% in 2020/21.It is generally illegal to export waste from the UK for disposal, including for disposal in landfill. We do, however, recognise the difficulties that some countries have in dealing with plastic waste, and so we have committed to banning the export of this waste to countries which are not members of the OECD. We will consult this year on options to deliver this ban.Waste is a devolved matter and Defra has responsibility for waste management in England only.

Food Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will set out a new food poverty strategy in the context of significant increases in the cost of living.

Victoria Prentis: The Government Food Strategy will be published later this year. This will build on existing work across Government and identify new opportunities to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient and more accessible. The strategy aims to create a food system that provides choice and access to high quality, nutritious products that support healthy and sustainable diets for all. Tackling poverty in all forms is a key priority for this Government. We are providing support worth around £12 billion this financial year and next to help families with the cost of living.

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to rewild white-tailed eagles.

Rebecca Pow: The Government committed in the 25 Year Environment Plan to providing opportunities for the reintroduction of formerly native species where there are clear environment and socio-economic benefits. Additionally, we will shortly be establishing an England Species Reintroductions Task Force to provide a collective evidence-based view on potential species for conservation translocation and reintroduction in England. Both Forestry England and Defra have supported The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation project to reintroduce white-tailed eagles to the Isle of Wight. By establishing a population on the south coast, it is hoped that the birds will also connect existing communities in Scotland, France, the Netherlands and Ireland, helping to secure a long-term future of the white-tailed eagle in Europe.

Gun Sports: Lead

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of use of lead shot on conservation of birds of prey.

Rebecca Pow: Evidence published by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust suggests that tens of thousands of wildfowl die from lead poisoning each year and many more birds, including scavengers and predators such as birds of prey, suffer and die through secondary poisoning. Further research from the University of Cambridge, published earlier this year, reaffirms that birds of prey such as red kites which scavenge carcasses or eat injured animals with fragments of toxic lead from gun ammunition embedded in their bodies can become poisoned, suffering slow and painful deaths. The Government supports the principle of further regulation to address the impact of lead ammunition. That is why in spring 2021 Defra asked the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) to prepare a UK REACH restriction dossier for lead ammunition. The HSE and the EA are considering the evidence of risk posed by lead in ammunition on human health and the environment and, therefore, the case for introducing a UK REACH restriction on lead in ammunition. This process will take approximately two years (from spring 2021), after which the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, will make a decision on the basis of this review.

Food Supply

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to provide for the supply of (a) healthy and (b) British-produced food to public sector organisations.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is adopting an ambitious and transformational approach to public sector food and catering. We want the public sector to lead by example, championing local food and farmers, and healthy, sustainable produce. We have a manifesto commitment to encourage the public sector to buy British, to support our farmers and reduce environmental costs. To help meet this commitment, we will soon be consulting on proposed changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF). The consultation will seek views on ways to promote local, sustainable, healthier food in the public sector, open public sector procurement to a wider range of businesses and increase the transparency of food supply chains. Organisations in scope are required to apply the GBSF as per the Procurement Policy Note published in November 2014. The GBSF also includes best practice standards which are recommended but not required. We will consider whether future reforms to regulation are needed to unlock the full potential of public sector food and catering.

Fisheries: Monitoring

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of 2022 Data Collection Framework for Fisheries proposals, particularly on enforcement capacity and the number of observer staff allocated to the combined English and Welsh fleet.

Victoria Prentis: The Data Collection Framework policies place no additional requirements on fisheries administrations for 2022. Further details of the UK’s data collection requirements for fisheries and aquaculture sectors for 2022 can be found in the UK workplan. The UK does not deploy observers on vessels in UK waters for enforcement purposes. However, fisheries administrations do deploy observers on vessels to collect fisheries dependant data.

Land: Nature Conservation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of land that will be taken out of agricultural production as a result of schemes and plans for wilding over the next two years.

Victoria Prentis: Wilding or re-wilding is the restoration of ecosystems to the point where they are more regulated by natural processes. Although appropriate only in certain situations, this is something the Government is already supporting through projects such as peatland restoration funding or agri-environment schemes. Defra is also in the process of reviewing and developing an approach to rewilding that takes into account environmental and land use priorities. We will initiate ten Landscape Recovery projects between 2022 and 2024 that will, among other things, help restore wilder landscapes. The focus of these will be on large-scale sites where there are opportunities to significantly enhance the landscape to deliver a wide range of environmental outcomes. Over the next two years it is expected that the amount of land moving from agriculture production into wilding projects will have no substantive impact on food production.

Fisheries: Monitoring

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will prioritise the introduction of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) onboard vessels that pose high risks to unsustainable management and protected species.

Victoria Prentis: As part of our commitment to delivering a world class fisheries management system Defra is developing a set of proposals for expanding the use of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) in English waters. This will include further consultation to determine how these measures will apply to specific vessels and fleet types.

Food: Packaging

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to hold discussions with representatives of manufacturers to encourage wider use of technologies like NaviLens to help make packaging more accessible to people with sight impairments.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure people with sight loss have greater access to accessible packaging when shopping.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to work with companies to help improve the accessibility of packaging for people with sight loss.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his plans his Department has to encourage the food processing and production industry to make food and drink packaging more accessible to people with sight loss.

Victoria Prentis: The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. It is already a requirement that food information must be easily visible and clearly legible. Information shall not in any way be obscured and depending on the package size, there is a minimum font size. That said, we welcome work by industry, especially companies developing new digital technologies like NaviLens with the potential to provide the means for people with visual impairment to access food information. As part of the upcoming Food Strategy White Paper, we will look at optimising food information, including labelling, so all consumers, are better able to make informed choices.

Food Supply: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the UK's agricultural sector is able to support supply in the event of a possible shortage in grain as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Victoria Prentis: The UK is highly self-sufficient with 88% of cereals consumed in the UK in 2020 produced domestically. Since 2015, wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine have never accounted for more than 0.5% of domestic supply. Therefore, the risk of a shortage of cereals in the UK is low due to the amount of cereal produced in the UK and the ability to import from alternative sources, so Defra does not expect any significant direct impact from this conflict on UK food supply. To help ensure supply and variety in our cereals sector, in 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme ‘greening measures’ on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning that when growers are making decisions for their own land, they are free to react to market signals. We are working at pace, together with representatives in the arable sector, including the National Farmers Union, seed and fertiliser suppliers, and major grain traders, to understand any potential pressures on domestic production and the impacts of these global events on supply chains. We will continue to keep the situation under review to identify whether any additional action may be necessary.

Slaughterhouses: Staff

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in abattoirs.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is very aware of the specific challenges faced by the pig processing sector in recent months. In the autumn of 2021, the Government announced a package of measures to support the pig industry. These measures came in recognition of the unique, temporary circumstances farmers faced as the global economy responded to the impacts of the pandemic and the global pressures facing supply chains worldwide.Between November 2021 and 31 December 2021 applications were open for up to 800 pig butchers who were permitted to travel to the UK on visas that last for six months from the date granted. These visas were an exceptional and temporary adjustment to existing visa arrangements, augmenting the butchers already eligible since January 2021 to apply through the Skilled Worker Route as part of the points-based immigration system.Additional concessions have been announced by Home Office for temporary workers of Ukrainian nationality, who can remain in the UK until 31 December 2022 and may also apply for a skilled worker visa while in the UK.Temporary visas are not a long-term solution to workforce needs and businesses must make investments in the UK domestic workforce to build a high-wage, high-skill economy, instead of relying on overseas labour.   The Government expects the pork sector to encourage better training offers, career options and wage increases to ensure that the sector draws on the large domestic labour pool in the UK, as well as investing in technology across the industry.Since January 2021, the Skilled Worker visa route has also been open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of working in a skilled role – including those in butchery. Further, food and farming businesses can continue to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.5 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme.Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce.

Security: EU Countries

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her G7 counterparts on strengthening European security.

Victoria Prentis: The Secretary of State joined his counterparts from the G7 nations on 11 March to hear from the Ukrainian Agriculture Minister and to express their solidarity with Ukraine. They also committed to work closely together to mitigate any impacts on global food security in light of Russia's invasion. Following the virtual meeting, the G7 agricultural ministers published a joint statement condemning the large-scale aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Ministers agreed to work together to help ensure that sufficient, safe, affordable, and nutritious food continues to be available and accessible to all people, including the poorest, the most vulnerable, and displaced people in a timely, safe, and organised manner. The G7 called on all countries to keep their markets open and guard against unjustified restrictive measures on their exports. Defra will continue to work with international partners to help facilitate harvests in Ukraine and ensure the ability of Ukrainian farmers to feed their population, addressing logistical challenges for food exports to contribute to global food security.

Furs and Pâté De Foie Gras: Imports

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's timetable is for making a decision on banning the import of fur and foie gras products.

Jo Churchill: Now we have left the EU, the Government is able to explore potential action in relation to animal fur, in line with the Government’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We are reviewing the evidence gathered both from our Call for Evidence and wider engagement with the fur trade and stakeholders, and a summary of responses will be published soon. Regarding foie gras, the Government has made clear that the production of force-fed foie gras raises serious welfare concerns. We are now able to consider any further steps that could be taken in relation to foie gras that is produced overseas using force feeding practices, such as restrictions on import and sale. We continue to gather information and speak to a range of interested parties about the issues involved. We will update members accordingly when this evidence gathering process is concluded for both fur and foie gras.

Home Office

Visas: Ukraine

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the Ukraine Family Visa Scheme to include Ukrainian nationals whose close relatives are in the UK on Skilled Worker visas.

Kevin Foster: Skilled workers who have not obtained settlement are not permitted to sponsor under the Ukraine Family Scheme. However, they may wish to consider sponsoring a relative under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. This bespoke scheme offers a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for Ukrainians, and their immediate family members, forced to escape their homeland.Further information on the process and how to apply to sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found here: https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/

Visas: Ukraine

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Ukraine Family Scheme Visas granted to date are for three years; and what proportion of those visas have been offered for shorter periods of time.

Kevin Foster: Information on the number of applications which have been granted under the newly launched Ukraine Family Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data

Passports: Applications

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of compensating passport holders for lost unexpired time on their passports at renewal.

Kevin Foster: As the British passport remains a valid passport up until its expiry date, and a need to renew early is determined by where the holder may choose to travel, there are no plans to compensate for any unused validity period.

Nationality and Borders Bill: Ukraine

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the provisions of the Nationality and Borders Bill on Ukrainian refugees attempting to reach the UK.

Tom Pursglove: The Nationality and Borders Bill, part of the UK Government’s New Plan for Immigration, seeks to build a fair, but firm asylum and migration system.The plan gives the Government the flexibility to respond at pace to conflict and humanitarian crises around the world, by establishing safe and legal routes to the UK.Most recently, this Government has made its support for Ukrainians fleeing in fear of their lives clear, introducing two new schemes: the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.There is no numerical limit on either scheme as we will welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come and, for the sponsorship scheme, that are eligible and have matched sponsors.The Home Office will work closely with international partners on the ground to support displaced Ukrainians in need of a home.

Visas: Ukraine

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make the Ukrainian Sponsorship Scheme visa application available in Ukrainian.

Kevin Foster: We intend to provide supporting guidance for the Ukrainian Sponsorship Scheme visa application in Ukrainian and Russian as soon as possible.

Refugees: Housing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities that are at or nearing the cap for accommodating refugees about future placements; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: There are no limits on the number of refugees (those who have been granted asylum or humanitarian protection) that a Local Authority can house.In relation to supported asylum seekers, who are awaiting the outcome of their asylum claim, then the Home Office would not normally disperse people above the ratio of 1:200. We are working with the Home Office Local Government Chief Executive group to ensure a more equitable distribution of asylum seekers across the whole of the UK.We continue to encourage all local authorities to work with us to support providing accommodation in their areas for those who are resettled or claim asylum in the UK.

Visas: Peru

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Peruvians who would like to travel to the UK are able to do so without a visa.

Kevin Foster: There are no current plans to change the visa requirements for citizens of Peru.

Refugees: Ukraine

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to help Ukrainian refugees in the UK secure employment upon arrival.

Kevin Foster: Those arriving via the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, have immediate and unrestricted access to the labour market. If unemployed, they can receive employment support from the Department for Work and Pensions. Employers can offer work to people fleeing Ukraine at: https://www.gov.uk/offer-work-ukraine

Antisocial Behaviour: Supported Housing

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Minister for Policing has taken to tackle anti-social behaviour within and around areas with a high concentration of exempt accommodation properties, following his visit to Birmingham in January 2022.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB).We have provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers; they are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question and the impact it is having.The Beating Crime Plan laid out the Government’s plan for tackling crime and ASB and the fourth round of the Safer Streets Fund will for the first time include ASB as a primary focus.The Government has provided £1.84m to Birmingham City Council through a pilot to improve the standard and quality of Exempt Accommodation in the city. As part of the pilot, Birmingham City Council is working with West Midlands Police to tackle criminal exploitation of vulnerable people in supported housing by organised crime groups, by sharing information with local neighbourhood policing teams. The local authority has also launched a set of Quality Standards for supported housing, which it is using to accredit local providers and a Charter of Rights for residents.

Offences against Children: Internet

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals for online child sexual abuse cases the National Crime Agency has passed on to each police force in England between (a) March 2020 and February 2021 and (b) March 2021 and February 2022.

Kevin Foster: Tackling online child sexual abuse remains a key priority for this Government. Investment in the National Crime Agency and UK forces has ensured offenders are identified and brought to justice.The National Crime Agency (NCA) leads the law enforcement response to online child sexual abuse working in collaboration with police forces across England. The NCA develops and disseminates intelligence in relation to online child sexual abuse to UK forces and NCA teams. This intelligence includes industry referrals of child sexual abuse, public reports, and intelligence generated by the NCA and international law enforcement.In cases where the NCA judges that an offence has occurred and the offender can be located, these cases, including the content, are disseminated to a police force, Region or NCA Investigations for action.In the period March 2020 to February 2021, the NCA disseminated 14,260 online child sexual abuse cases to forces in England including 18 individual cases referred to two or more police forces. And in the period between March 2021 and February 2022 the NCA disseminated 17,022 online child sexual abuse cases to forces in England including 34 individual cases referred to two or more police forces.

Body Searches: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with representatives of the Metropolitan Police following the strip search of a 15-year-old black student in a Hackney-based secondary school.

Kit Malthouse: Strip search is one of the most intrusive powers available to the police and the reports of this incident are deeply concerning.It was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) last year and the IOPC served misconduct notices on three police constables and are now nearing completion of their investigation.We must now let the IOPC conclude its work. We expect the Metropolitan Police Service to respond to the IOPC’s findings swiftly and for policing across England and Wales to learn lessons where applicable. Whilst this is an operational policing matter, the Home Office will consider any broader implications from this case.

Police: Inspections

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people and organisations responded to the HMICFRS consultation on the Policing inspection programme and framework.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the length of time for the consultation on the HMICFRS document on the Policing inspection programme and framework commencing April 2022.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the issues consulted on in the HMICFRS document on the Policing inspection programme and framework commencing April 2022 were identified.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to publicise the consultation on the HMICFRS document on the Policing inspection programme and framework commencing April 2022.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to assess the effectiveness of the consultation on the Policing Inspection programme and framework commencing April 2022.

Kit Malthouse: It is for the independent inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), in line with their statutory obligations, to determine the length, scope and content of their programme consultation.HMICFRS engaged extensively with forces, Police and Crime Commissioners, the Home Office and other interested parties in the drafting of the framework which was published for consultation.The consultation closes on Friday 11 March, and the final programme will be submitted to the Home Secretary for formal approval in due course, at which point it will be laid in Parliament. HMICFRS will also publish the results of the consultation, as they do each year.

Licensed Premises: Closures

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of individuals remaining on or entering premises in contravention of a closure notice or similar direction were recorded in each of the last five years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of individuals contravening a direction by constable regarding dispersal of persons aged under 16 to their place of residence were recorded in each of the last five years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of individuals breaching a criminal behaviour order were recorded in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides a range of flexible tools and powers to local agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour. Local areas decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances.The number of breaches of Criminal Behaviour Orders in the last five years recorded by the 39 police forces in England and Wales who have supplied data to the Home Office is shown in Table 1.Table 1 - Breach of a criminal behaviour order 2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/221 Offences23,2664,3815,3175,5424,1272,020 1. Includes data from April 2021 to September 20212. Includes data from 39 police forces who have provided us record level data. Excludes Greater Manchester; Staffordshire; Kent; Wiltshire; and West Midlands. The Home Office does not collect information on the breaches of closure notices or dispersals resulting from the use of these powers, but this information will be held by individual police forces.

Police: Females

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women police constables have been employed by police forces in England & Wales in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women police community support officers were employed by police forces in England & Wales in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Information on the total number of police officers, by rank, and police community support officers as at the 31 March each year can be found in the workforce open data tables published at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1005761/open-data-table-police-workforce-280721.odsDue to the implementation of the Police Workforce Data Standards, from 2021 the police workforce data collection was updated to collect information on both the sex and gender of the officer. Previously, data collected and presented in this table referred to the sex of the officer only, limited to male or female. For some forces, this change has led to a large proportion of officers with an “unknown” gender or “unknown” sex. While the expectation is that this will improve in future years, a hybrid approach was taken in 2021 to account for cases with an “unknown” gender recorded. Where gender data are not available, analysts have instead used sex data, and vice versa (see the user guide for more details).While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme. This quarterly bulletin includes the number of officers (headcount terms only) in England and Wales, broken down by both sex and gender. Data are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Table U5a of the accompanying data tables contains information on the number of officers broken down by sex, and Table U5b on the number of officers broken down by gender. We continue to work with NPCC and police forces to improve the recording of gender and sex data.

Police: Training

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to police officers on tackling antisemitism.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is clear that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society.The College of Policing provide police officers with training on how to respond to hate crime and incidents during initial learning and investigation training. This training targets the wider policing response to all forms of hate crime. Further training on tackling hate crime is subsequently provided for detectives, senior investigators, and supervisors. Local training is the responsibility of individual chief officers, according to policing needs and priorities.The National Police Chiefs’ Council has a strategic partnership with the Community Security Trust - a charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats - and has held many joint events to raise awareness of the needs of the Jewish community and to highlight the nature of contemporary antisemitism.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Homes for Ukraine scheme to provide the same (a) support and (b) rights to people feeling violence in Afghanistan.

Kevin Foster: Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes directly from regions of conflict and instability - more than any other European country. Every conflict and threat situation is unique and requires a unique and tailored response. In response to the Afghanistan crisis, this Government helped over 15,000 people to safety in the largest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history, W have also continued to bring people to the UK, with around 1,500 people helped to enter since the evacuation. This UK Government has two schemes to facilitate resettlement in the United Kingdom of Afghan nationals at risk: the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6 January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. Those resettled through the ARAP and ACRS receive fee-free indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK. The Government maintains a constant review of all resettlement schemes to enable a flexible response.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date in the spring the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will begin to refer people to the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; and what steps are being taken to identify and evaluate eligible Afghan nationals in refugee camps to ensure they are considered for the scheme.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6th January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.We are working towards a spring timetable for receiving UNHCR referrals under pathway two of the ACRS scheme. We are developing detailed policy guidance and will publish it in due course.UNHCR will refer refugees who are in various locations, predominantly residing in Asia.Those referred by UNHCR will be assessed for resettlement by UNHCR using their established process, and in line with their resettlement submission categories which specifically includes women and girls at risk.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances the UNHCR refer a refugee from Afghanistan to the Government for resettlement.

Kevin Foster: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme commenced on 6 January, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.From Spring 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees to the scheme, based on assessment of protection need.The UNHCR has the global mandate to provide international protection and to assist Governments in finding solutions for refugees. UNHCR will refer refugees who are located in various locations, predominantly residing in Asia.Those referred by UNHCR will be assessed for resettlement by UNHCR using their established process, and in line with their resettlement submission categories which specifically includes women and girls at risk.The seven resettlement submission categories used by UNHCR are:Legal and or Physical Protection NeedsSurvivors of Torture and/or ViolenceMedical NeedsWomen and Girls at RiskFamily ReunificationChildren and Adolescents at Risk; andLack of Foreseeable Alternative Durable Solutions

Asylum: English Language

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on (a) provision of and (b) eligibility for English language classes for asylum seekers who are based in hotel accommodation paid for by her Department.

Kevin Foster: The provision of English classes (English as a Second Language (ESoL)) for asylum seekers within hotels is not funded by the Home Office.ESoL courses may be provided by the voluntary sector in the local communities where hotels are being used to house asylum seekers in their area.

Common Travel Area: Republic of Ireland

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to change the Common Travel Area arrangements with Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Foster: The UK Government is firmly committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements, and the reciprocal rights and privileges it provides to British and Irish citizens. This is an objective shared by all CTA members.There is a high level of cooperation between all CTA members to ensure we are taking all the necessary measures to protect and secure the CTA.

Asylum: Birmingham Selly Oak

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision by the National Asylum Support Service and contracted providers to support the (a) physical health and (b) mental wellbeing of asylum seekers in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency.

Kevin Foster: Asylum seekers have full access to NHS health services from arrival in the UK. All Home Office staff and contractors engaging with asylum seekers are trained to adopt a risk-based approach towards potential indications of vulnerability and to refer relevant cases onto the Safeguarding Hub, a dedicated resource assigned to identifying and safeguarding vulnerable asylum seekers. The Safeguarding Hub works closely with the statutory agencies to signpost vulnerable customers for support with their health and social care needs

Refugees

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing safe routes to the UK for refugees and (b) removing differential treatment, offshore detention, and criminalisation of refugees; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the age assessment process for unaccompanied children seeking asylum retains safeguards and is based on best practice.

Kevin Foster: The Government is delivering comprehensive reform of the asylum system through the New Plan for Immigration, an essential element of which is the Nationality and Borders Bill. The plan gives the Government the flexibility to respond at pace to conflict and humanitarian crises around the world, by establishing safe and legal routes to the UK. Most recently, this Government has made its support for Ukrainians fleeing in fear of their lives clear, introducing two new schemes: the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Further details can be found at: Home Secretary statement on humanitarian support for Ukrainians - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) We must, at the same time, take steps to disincentivise people from using unsafe, unnecessary and illegal journeys to the UK. The ability to differentiate entitlements between those refugees who came directly to the UK, claimed asylum without delay and where applicable, showed good cause for their illegal entry or presence, and those who did not, is a key part of this deterrence. So too, is overseas asylum processing. To be clear, this is not offshore detention and we would not transfer anyone overseas for their claim to be processed where to do so would breach the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention or ECHR. We must also tackle the criminal gangs who facilitate illegal migration and ensure we have a robust criminal justice response to those who break our laws. We are therefore strengthening the law, to introduce life sentences for people smugglers and stronger penalties for those who come here illegally. It should however be noted that prosecutors will always consider whether it is in the public interest to initiate a prosecution and that they may wait to see if someone is recognised as a refugee before making that decision. The introduction of the National Age Assessment Board offers the potential for significant improvements to our processes for assessing age. It will create greater consistency in age assessment practices, improve quality and ensure that ages are correctly recorded for immigration purposes. It will help reduce the resource burden on local authorities. And it will help better protect against adults being treated as children – ensuring vulnerable children can swiftly access the support they need.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to implement a scheme through which UK firms can sponsor Afghan citizens in need of relocation, in the same manner available for Ukrainian citizens.

Kevin Foster: Community Sponsorship provides the opportunity for friends and neighbours, charities and faith groups to play a direct role in supporting families resettled to the UK as they restart their lives here. Community Sponsorship has been extended so sponsor groups can support a family through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. The Home Office has set up a webpage which allows members of the public and organisations to make offers of employment and housing:Help people who have come to the UK from Afghanistan: Work - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) More information about Community Sponsorship and other volunteering opportunities can be found here:Help people who have come to the UK from Afghanistan: Helping people to settle in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Visas: Ukraine

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance on the Ukraine Family Scheme updated on 9 March 2022, whether applicants to the Ukraine Family Scheme who followed the guidance in place at the time of their application prior to 9 March will need to complete a further application before their case is considered by her Department.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when guidance will be available for people already in the UK who need to apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme as of 10 March 2022.

Kevin Foster: As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both immediate family (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join qualifying family members in the UK. This route was launched on 4 March.Applicants who made their application prior to the publication of the updated guidance on 9 March will not be required to re-submit their applications.Guidance for those who wish to apply for the Ukraine Family Scheme who are already in the UK is published here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#non-british-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine

Refugees: Ukraine

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to create safe routes for Ukrainian refugees travelling to the UK.

Kevin Foster: This Government has made its support for Ukrainians fleeing in fear of their lives clear.We are creating safe and legal routes for Ukrainian nationals to come to the UK.This Government has introduced two new schemes: the Ukraine Family Scheme announced on 4 March, and the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Scheme announced by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities on 14 March.The Ukraine Family Scheme is fee-free and allows British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring family members to the UK, covering immediate family members plus parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Individuals will be granted leave for three years and will be able to work and access public services and benefits.The ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK. There will be no limit on the number of arrivals, and those who come to the UK on the scheme will have permission to live and work here for up to three years. They will also have access to public services and benefits. This government will work closely with international partners on the ground to support displaced Ukrainians in need of a home.

Refugees: Ukraine

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to introduce a resettlement scheme for people in Ukraine.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the safe and legal routes to the UK that are available for refugees from Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: This Government has made its support for Ukrainians fleeing in fear of their lives clear.We have created safe and legal routes for Ukrainian nationals to come to the UK.This Government has introduced two new schemes: the Ukraine Family Scheme announced on 4 March, and the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Scheme announced by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities on 14 March.The Ukraine Family Scheme is fee-free and allows British nationals and people settled in the UK to bring family members to the UK, covering immediate family members plus parents, grandparents, children over 18 and siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Individuals will be granted leave for three years and will be able to work and access public services and benefits.The bespoke ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK. There will be no limit on the number of arrivals, and those who come to the UK on the scheme will have permission to live and work here for up to three years. They will also have access to public services and benefits.This government will work closely with international partners on the ground to support displaced Ukrainians in need of a home.

Visas: Ukraine

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution in response to a question from the hon. member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central on 1 March 2022, Official Report, column 938, whether a Ukrainian resident in the UK can apply for a family reunion visa  regardless of his or her immigration status.

Kevin Foster: As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both the immediate (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) family members to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or a person in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.   Ukrainian nationals who have not obtained settlement are not permitted to sponsor under the Ukraine Family Scheme. However, they may wish to consider sponsoring a relative under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. This bespoke scheme will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for Ukrainians, and their immediate family members, forced to escape their homeland Further information on the process and how to apply to sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found here: https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/   We are setting no limit on the numbers of people who can come here. We will be glad to welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come.

Visas: Ukraine

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether people from Ukraine resident in the UK on a tier 2 visa are eligible to bring family members from Ukraine into the UK under the Ukrainian humanitarian route set out by her Department.

Kevin Foster: As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both the immediate (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) family members to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or a person in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.Tier 2 visa applicants who have not obtained settlement are not permitted to sponsor under the Ukraine Family Scheme. However, they may wish to consider sponsoring a relative under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. This bespoke scheme will offer a route to those who want to come to the UK who have someone here willing to provide them with a home. It will enable individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for Ukrainians, and their immediate family members, forced to escape their homeland.Further information on the process and how to apply to sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found here:https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/We are setting no limit on the numbers of people who can come here. We will be glad to welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come.

Visas: Hungary

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional staff with relevant expertise and experience have been allocated to the UK's visa application centre in Hungary since 20 February 2022.

Kevin Foster: We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand, including from pressures relating to Ukraine.

Asylum: Employment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling asylum seekers to pursue employment in the event that their claim has been outstanding for six months.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the restrictions on employment in jobs that are on the Shortage Occupation List for asylum seekers.

Kevin Foster: A review of the asylum seeker right to work policy was conducted, and the decision was made to retain our policy with no further changes. A Written Ministerial Statement was made on 8 December, setting out the Home Office’s findings and rationale: Asylum Seekers: Right to Work Policy - Hansard - UK Parliament.

Visas: Russia

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Tier 1 Investor visa applications by people from Russia led to the granting of British citizenship in each year since 2008, broken down by people who subsequently (a) retained and (b) renounced Russian citizenship.

Kevin Foster: The data is not available. Immigration statistics for the year ending December 2021 are published at Migration statistics. While these include statistics for naturalisation as a British citizen based on residence, they do not identify the specific routes of entry used to secure that residence.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce an expedited process for family members of EU/EEA Nationals awaiting decisions on applications to the EU Settlement Scheme, to match the announced introduction of an expedited decision-making process for family members of UK nationals.

Kevin Foster: Settled status holders of any nationality, plus EEA and Swiss citizens with EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) pre-settled status based on UK residence before the end of the transition period will be able to sponsor family members under the new Ukraine Family Scheme.There are no plans to change the arrangements for the EUSS or EUSS Family Permit.

Asylum: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of current asylum programs and policies in place for Russians.

Kevin Foster: The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). All asylum claims lodged from within the UK, including those from Russian nationals, are given full and careful consideration so we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin. Protection is normally granted where a claimant has a well-founded fear of persecution under the Refugee Convention or their circumstances engage our obligations under Article 3 ECHR.We are monitoring the situation in Russia. Every asylum claim made is carefully considered on its individual merits by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant against a background of country information from a wide range of credible sources, including the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office, the media and non-governmental sources, such as the UNHCR, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

HM Passport Office: Telephone Services

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the information available to call handlers supporting individuals looking for application updates via telephony services at HM Passport Office.

Kevin Foster: All Passport Adviceline call handlers have some access to passport application information, and customers can be transferred where more in-depth advice is needed. We continue to work with our supplier to increase the number of call handlers who are dedicated to the Passport Adviceline and have the necessary access to passport application systems. This will help to ensure calls can be transferred in greater volumes, so more complex passport queries can continue to be answered in good time during periods of high customer contact.

Asylum: Mental Health

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2022 to Question 132223 on Asylum: Mental Health, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Adults at Risk policy and other existing guidance and rules at (a) identifying asylum seekers who have experienced (i) rape and (ii) torture, and (b) ensuring their prompt release from immigration detention.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of difficulties in obtaining in-person legal advice on the quality of legal assistance given to asylum seekers in immigration detention who have experienced (a) rape, (b) other gender-based violence and (c) torture.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office regularly reviews its policies, guidance and processes. A number of mechanisms exist to identify vulnerable people in immigration detention. All individuals receive a healthcare screening within 2 hours of a person’s arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) and, unless they decline, an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours; Induction interviews with Home Office Detention Engagement Team staff include questions which seek to identify vulnerability; and Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 / Rule 32 of the Short Term Holding Facility Rules 2018 require the medical practitioner to report where they have concerns a person’s health may be injuriously affected by detention, a person may have suicidal intentions, or a person may have been a victim of torture.The Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy strengthens the presumption against the detention of those who are particularly vulnerable to harm in detention. Under the AAR policy, vulnerable individuals will be detained only when the evidence of vulnerability in their particular case is outweighed by the immigration considerations, including expected date of removal, compliance with immigration law, and public protection. Where a decision is taken to maintain the detention of a vulnerable person, safeguards are in place including regular reviews to ensure detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate.All Home Office staff working in the detention system are given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability.Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an IRC. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.There is a dedicated welfare team available daily within each IRC who focus on residents’ needs and assist all detained individuals to obtain legal advice.

Domestic Abuse Commissioner: Finance and Staff

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the (a) budget of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and (b) number of full-time equivalent staff working for the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for each year since the Designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner was appointed in September 2019.

Rachel Maclean: Nicole Jacobs was appointed as the Designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner in September 2019 and became the Commissioner when her powers were made statutory in November 2021.The budget and FTE equivalent are as follows:YearBudget for the Office of the Designate/ Domestic Abuse CommissionerNumber of full-time equivalent staff working in the Office of the Designate/ Domestic Abuse Commissioner2019/20£1m0.252020/21£1m5.32021/22£1m10.3

Police: Training

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces have undertaken cultural competency training; and what plans her Department has to ensure that that training is rolled out across all forces.

Kit Malthouse: Police forces that reflect and understand the communities they serve are crucial to tackling crime and maintaining public trust and confidence in a modern diverse society. More than ever, diversity is an important part of operational effectiveness. This includes provision of appropriate training for all officers and staff and ensuring the very highest professional standards are maintained throughout their careers.The College of Policing, who set and maintain training standards for policing, published the Code of Ethics in 2014, which includes equality and diversity among the standards of professional behaviour in the police. The Code is currently being refreshed.The College’s foundation training for all those entering the service already includes substantial coverage of police ethics and self-understanding. The initial training undertaken by all officers also covers hate crimes, ethics and equalities, and policing without bias.In addition, we have funded the College to develop a National Police Leadership Centre to create a strong professional framework and standards across policing at all levels. As part of this, the new curriculum for Sergeants includes a module on ‘Inclusive Leadership’, covering organisational and procedural justice, including historical context.

Home Office: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on her Department’s carbon footprint.

Kit Malthouse: The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Females: Safety

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what programmes her Department has undertaken to improve street safety for Jewish women; when those programmes took place; and what assessment she has made of their success.

Kit Malthouse: The Government takes the safety of all women and girls very seriously. We are determined to ensure that women feel safe everywhere - at home, at work, at school, online, or on the streets.In 2021/22, the Government is providing £25 million for round 3 of the Safer Streets Fund, which focuses on improving public safety for all, with an emphasis on women and girls’ safety in public spaces. Successful projects have taken forward a range of innovative and traditional crime prevention measures, including training designed to challenge attitudes towards VAWG and change behaviour, as well as improvements to CCTV and streetlighting.Evaluation of the programme is currently ongoing.

Sexual Offences: Religion

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the latest figures available for the number of police recorded (a) sexual offences and (b) rapes by the religion of the victim where known, for (i) the UK, (ii) Greater London, by borough if available, (iii) Greater Manchester and (iv) Leeds.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not hold information on the religious beliefs of victims of sexual offences recorded in England and Wales.

Social Rented Housing: Evictions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a Police data sharing policy to assist housing providers and landlords seeking to evict problem tenants through the courts.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has published guidance to help private and social landlords in England and Wales to better understand the possession action process in the county court. The guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-the-possession-action-process-guidance-for-landlords-and-tenants.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has also committed to work with the Ministry of Justice to explore improvements and possible efficiencies to the process for possession of property in the courts to make it quicker and easier. Following a call for evidence to better understand the experience of users of the courts in possession cases, they will set out their policy response later in the spring.The Home Office has no plans at present to introduce a policy relating to police data sharing relating to eviction of tenants through the courts.

Counter-terrorism: Ukraine

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department made a counter-terrorism assessment of right-wing extremism in Ukraine following the murder of Mohammed Saleem in 2013.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office recognises the seriousness of the extreme right-wing and works with domestic and international stakeholders in order to continually improve its knowledge of the wider landscape.We have not found any record to indicate that a specific assessment has been undertaken in relation to the issue noted. Partly this is because a specific HMG counter-extremism strategy was only developed in 2015.More detailed assessment relating to the incident referenced is more likely to be held in either Counter-Terrorism Policing or the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, who are key intelligence partner organisations in the fight against terrorism.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

EU Grants and Loans

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the calculation for the average value of EU structural fund receipts to the UK of around £1.5 billion per year includes the value of Interreg receipts to UK beneficiaries.

Neil O'Brien: UK-wide, funding for the UKSPF will ramp up to £1.5 billion per year by March 2025. Alongside commitments to support regional finance funds across the UK via the British Business Bank, this upholds the UK government’s commitment to match EU structural fund receipts for each nation.UKSPF will not directly replace European Territorial Cooperation programmes. Each place has a range of economic and societal relationships with other places across the UK, including their neighbours and places with common needs and opportunities. Collaboration with other places across the UK will be welcomed in the delivery of the Fund where it meets the needs of their place and achieves value for money or better outcomes for the people or businesses the Fund will benefit.

Local Government: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen collaboration with regional leaders in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

Neil O'Brien: My officials are already engaging with the local government sector on all areas of the Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP), to ensure councils feedback informs strengthened collaboration with regional leaders and that joined- up discussions about each place happen. In the LUWP, Government has committed that by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution and a simplified, long-term funding settlement. We have just announced an ambitious programme of negotiations, including early County Deals, new Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), as well as deepening the settlements of our strongest MCAs. Devolution provides further opportunities to strengthen regional collaboration by working together with Government and I would encourage Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to consider the devolution framework in the LUWP. This is only our first step towards achieving the 2030 mission and we will set out a process for other areas to come forward in due course.The LUWP also announced the creation of Levelling Up Directors, to provide a single point of contact for local areas with central government to work collaboratively to drive new and innovative local policy proposals. Levelling Up Directors will play a critical function in empowering decision-making in local areas and ensuring that central government decision-making is informed and shaped by local insight; the recruitment for these roles has now launched.

Local Government Finance: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Local Government Finance Settlement on local communities in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

Neil O'Brien: The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils, including funding for adult social care reform.For Staffordshire County Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 7.3% compared to last year, worth £40.9 million - making available up to £605.5 million in 2022/23.For Stoke-on-Trent City Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 8.8% compared to last year, worth £19.3 million - making available up to £237.4 million in 2022/23.These funding increases will allow Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Councils to deliver the services local communities need.

Regional Planning and Development: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals in the Levelling Up White Paper on regional inequality in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Kidsgrove.

Neil O'Brien: The Levelling Up White paper sets out the Government’s agenda to empower local leaders and communities to address inequality. This builds on existing Government actions, with Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove already benefitting from significant Government support.£56 million from the Levelling Up Fund was recently awarded for three city centre regeneration bids across Stoke. The bids were assessed by DLUHC officials impartially and robustly against four key criteria, including an assessment of the economic case. Kidsgrove was awarded £16.9 million from the Towns Fund based on a robust assessment of their Town Investment Plan. I would encourage Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to consider bids in the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, further details of which will be announced in the spring. Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will also receive an allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, when it launches later this Spring, to invest in local priority projects in the area which will also support levelling up.

Community Assets

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of mitigating the cost to local authorities of renewing Assets of Community Value.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to list Assets of Community Value for a period longer than five years.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to automatically renew Assets of Community Value when no material changes in circumstances have occurred.

Neil O'Brien: Councils are responsible for the design and oversight of their Assets of Community Value scheme. The existing 5-year listing period is considered proportionate to ensure that the scheme balances the interests of the community with the rights of property owners.

Community Assets

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of updating the Assets of Community Value guidance last published in 2012.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what process the process is for nominating groups to appeal rejected Assets of Community Value nominations with a relevant local authority.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what processes his Department has put in place to help ensure that the Assets of Community Value provisions of the Localism Act 2011 are applied consistently across England.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what complaints system is in place for his Department to investigate claims that local authorities are not applying the Assets of Community Value (ACV) provisions consistently or in line with the (a) Localism Act 2011, (b) 2012 ACV guidance and (c) the results of First Tier Tribunal decisions.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what process his Department has in place to ensure that evolving local authority Assets of Community Value (ACV) policy and its application is consistent with the requirements of the (a) Localism Act 2011, (b) 2012 ACV Guidance and (c) First Tier Tribunals.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has provided guidance to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on provisions relating to assets of community value in the (a) Localism Act 2011 and (b) Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations 2012.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many complaints have been made to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on local authority's handing of Assets of Community Value; and what the outcomes of those complaints were.

Neil O'Brien: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their Assets of Community Value scheme is run in accordance with the legislation set out in Part 3 Chapter 5 of the Localism Act 2011 and the Assets of Community Regulations 2012.Under the existing scheme a community nomination rejected by a council would not be able to appeal the council’s decision. The department does not collect information on complaints raised with the Social Care Ombudsman by community groups about unsuccessful Assets of Community Value nominations or the outcomes of these decision. The department also does not provide guidance to the Social Care on the Assets of Community Value scheme.The right of appeal against a council decision is only available to the owner of the asset. The right of independent appeal to a Tribunal ensures fairness to landowners and ensures that a council decision may be subject to impartial scrutiny.As part of the Strategy for Community Spaces and Relationships, announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, the UK Government will consider how the existing Assets of Community Value Scheme can be enhanced and consult on options to go further to support community ownership.

Community Assets

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Assets of Community Value, as defined by the Localism Act 2011, there are in England as of 16 March 2022.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Assets of Community Value nominations in England were (a) made, (b) successful and (c) rejected in each calendar year since 2011.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has a process in place to assess and review the information shared between local authorities on Assets of Community Value policy.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many local authorities in England have (a) nil, (b) 1-10, (c) 11-20, (d) 21-30 or (e) 31 or more Assets of Community Value on their statutory register.

Neil O'Brien: Councils are responsible for the oversight and administration of their own local Assets of Community Value scheme. They must publish a list of their decisions and are accountable to local people for the decisions they take. The Government does not hold a central list of this information; we do not require local authorities in England to submit updates to the department on the number of Assets of Community Value which they have listed or rejected.

Homelessness

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will prevent local authorities from informing people that are intentionally homeless and cannot be supported.

Eddie Hughes: This Government is committed to preventing homelessness and in 2021/22 we provided £310 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant to enable local authorities to implement their duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act. The Act is the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, placing duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person’s homelessness. These duties apply irrespective of whether a person may be regarded as being ‘intentionally homeless’.Households with a priority need whose homelessness has not been successfully prevented or relieved, are owed a lesser duty if they have become homeless intentionally than if they were homeless unintentionally. This ensures that resources, including temporary accommodation and access to settled housing, are prioritised effectively and accommodation is there for people who need it most. In such cases, a duty remains on the local authority to secure temporary accommodation, to provide reasonable opportunity for the household to find their own longer-term accommodation. The authority must also provide advice and assistance in any attempts the applicant might make to secure accommodation.Intentionally homeless applicants are therefore entitled to assistance under the legislation and can be supported.

Housing: Construction

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of the under-supply of housing in England, if he will take steps to help ensure that future housing development is designated for local residents rather than for asset investors.

Stuart Andrew: Development plans can, if supported by local evidence, be used to prioritise local residents by managing the number of new holiday homes in local areas, for example, by including policies which require new open-market housing to be occupied as a primary residence.The Government recognises the adverse effect that large numbers of second homes can have on some areas. We have introduced a number of measures to help mitigate those effects, including introducing higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for those purchasing additional properties.The Government’s new First Homes scheme, which offers at least a 30% discount to first-time buyers, can be used to prioritise local residents and expressly prohibits asset investors. Local  authorities can prioritise First Homes for local people or key workers. First Homes must remain the owners primary residence and there are restrictions on letting.

Civil Servants: Leeds

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish the number of Civil Servants operating from Leeds as of 16 March 2022 by (a) pay grade and (b) responsibilities.

Eddie Hughes: The total number of Civil Servants employed by this Department and operating from Leeds as of 16 March 2022 was 80. This figure will rise to 89 once we confirm and complete the location and workforce data for staff who have recently transferred into the Department from Cabinet Office.(a) Total number of Civil Servant officials by pay grade: Leeds headcount by Grade, 16th March 2022 CountAdministrative & Executive officers7Higher and Senior Executive Officers48Grade 7 and Grade 6 officers22Senior Civil Servants3 Grand Total 80 (b) Responsibilities of those Civil Servants operating from Leeds as of 16 March:The Department’s staff in Leeds perform functions across a wide range of the Department's responsibilities and priorities. Approximately a third of staff are working directly in support of the Department’s Levelling-Up and place-based work. There are also staff from teams whose responsibility is to deliver high-quality, secure and affordable housing, as well as teams responsible for ensuring the country has strong local leadership, high quality public services, and safer and greener buildings. There are also a smaller number of staff from within the Department’s Executive and corporate service delivery teams.

Shared Ownership Schemes: Older People

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many properties have been completed through the Older Person’s Shared Ownership scheme over the last five financial years; and what steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of that scheme.​

Stuart Andrew: This Government is committed to increasing the supply of specialist housing for older people and improving the diversity and quality of accommodation available so that they can choose the best housing option for them in the place they want to live.That is why we are launching a new task force on the issue of older people’s housing which will look at ways we can provide greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people and support the growth of a thriving older people’s housing sector in this country.The Older Person’s Shared Ownership (OPSO) scheme is a Shared Ownership scheme intended for specific groups of properties developed for people aged 55 and over. It is the same as the standard Shared Ownership scheme, but applicants can only purchase up to 75% of a home’s equity, with no rent charged on the remaining 25%. Over the last five years, a total of 1,238 homes have been delivered by Homes England through the OPSO scheme.As with all forms of housing offered through government schemes, including the Affordable Homes Programme, OPSO’s availability is contingent on the engagement of Registered Providers of Social Housing (RPs). As independent organisations, RPs are free to make their own commercial decisions as to the types of housing schemes they engage with.

Social Rented Housing: Evictions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of increases in the cost of living, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that (a) social landlords and (b) local authorities are unable to evict anyone who defaults on their rent payments.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of increases in the cost of living, if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities work with people who may default on rent payments rather than progress to court proceedings.

Eddie Hughes: We recognise people are facing pressures with the cost of living – which is why we are providing support worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next and significant support remains in place through the welfare system.To encourage landlords to work with residents who may have defaulted on rent payments, the Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords sets out the actions social landlords should take before they consider taking legal action for rent arrears. These actions include making early contact with tenants to discuss the cause of the arrears; checking eligibility for housing benefit and assisting with any claim; and agreeing affordable repayment terms for the arrears. The pre-action protocol can be found at: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/protocol/pre-action-protocol-for-possession-claims-by-social-landlords.For those at risk of homelessness, local authorities can use Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) funding flexibly – for example, to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions or to provide temporary accommodation, among other preventative measures. For 2021/22 we have provided local authorities with £375 million in HPG funding, including the additional £65 million to help prevent private renters with COVID-related arrears in England from becoming homeless. We will be providing a further £315.8 million in HPG funding for 2022/23.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of increases to the cost of living, if he will end (a) evictions of tenants by landlords and (b) Section 21 notices.

Eddie Hughes: The Government remains committed to delivering a better deal for renters and abolishing Section 21 evictions. We want to improve security for tenants in the rental sector and empower them to hold their landlord to account.We will publish a landmark White Paper this spring that will set out proposals to create a fairer and better quality private rented sector. The White Paper will provide further detail on repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, improving security for tenants by putting an end to evictions where the landlord doesn’t have to provide a reason. We must, however, ensure that landlords can recover their property where they have a valid reason and that tenancies are sustainable.We recognise people are facing pressures with the cost of living – which is why we’re providing support worth over £20 billion across this financial year and next and significant support remains in place through the welfare system.

Homelessness: Temporary Accommodation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the cost of temporary accommodation and storage for homeless households for local authorities.

Eddie Hughes: The Department publishes information on local authorities' expenditure on temporary accommodation which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing.

Building Regulations: Noise

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Government's forthcoming planning reforms, if will make it his policy to update building regulations for sound compliance on new builds by including a requirement for pre and post completion sound testing of walls, ceilings and floors.

Stuart Andrew: The Building Regulations 2010, Part E, Schedule 1 requires both new build and change of use dwellings to offer protection against sound from other parts of the building and adjoining premises. To comply with this requirement, each dwelling should comply to a performance standard either by pre completion testing in rooms and stairways or by constructing the building to a prescribed method that will achieve this standard. Full details can be found in Approved Document E, which can be found on the gov.uk website.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resistance-to-sound-approved-document-eWe are planning to carry out a review of Part E in due course.

Leasehold: Ground Rent

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of leasehold dwellings sold since 2010 that were subject to doubling clauses in their ground rent charges in (a) England, (b) Buckinghamshire and (c) Wycombe constituency.

Eddie Hughes: We do not hold information on properties subject to such charges at a local authority or constituency level. The department conducted an Impact Assessment for the Ground Rent Act, which included data on the number of properties in England and Wales that may charge ground rent, and may have doubling review clauses. The Impact Assessment is available on the UK Parliament website: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2864/publications.The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 will put an end to ground rents for new residential leasehold properties as part of the most significant changes to property law in a generation. The Act's provisions will lead to fairer, more transparent homeownership for thousands of future leaseholders.

Building Regulations: Walls and Fences

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Party Walls Act 1996 to include (a) retrospective enforcement measures and (b) Party Wall compliance within building control regulations.

Stuart Andrew: The Party Wall Act is separate from building regulations control. Therefore, even if a building owner has building regulations approval, they should still go through the proper procedures with their adjoining owners under the Act. However, not all work covered by the Act will require building regulations approval.If the requirements of the Act are not followed, as with most property law matters (e.g. boundary disputes) it is a civil matter for the parties involved to resolve. Anyone considering taking legal action is strongly advised to seek their own legal advice before taking any action.

Royal National Institute of Blind People

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he next plans to meet representatives of the RNIB.

Kemi Badenoch: Government Ministers are meeting with representatives of the RNIB shortly. Lord True is meeting tomorrow.

Multiple Occupation: Council Tax

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment estimate he has made of the number of council tax revaluations for Houses of Multiple Occupancy in England in 2020-21.

Kemi Badenoch: The Department does not hold data on the number of council tax reviews for Houses of Multiple Occupancy. The responsibility for considering requests for reviews of council tax bands rests with the Valuation Office Agency which has a statutory duty to maintain an accurate Council Tax list.

Council Tax: Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether people who sponsor a refugee through the Homes for Ukraine scheme will still be eligible to claim 25 per cent single persons council tax discount.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether a sole occupier of a home who takes in a Ukrainian refugee will lose their Council Tax discount.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is clear that the entitlement to the council tax single person discount should not be impacted by an individual's participation in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Refugees: Ukraine

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to assess the practicability of using empty NHS and Social Services buildings, including Nightingale hospitals, to assist in the short-term transition of Ukrainian refugee families between arrival in the UK and placement with the sponsors who are offering to accommodate them; and if he will make a statement.

Eddie Hughes: The Government is exploring using vacant public sector property for Ukrainians arriving into the UK. Those arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme should however proceed directly to the housing provided by their sponsor.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: LGBT+ People

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department will seek to match LGBTQ Ukrainian refugees with LGBTQ hosts as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he will carry out DBS checks on all people who are seeking to participate in the Homes for Ukraine programme.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he make assessment of the potential merits of establishing a professional matching process for the Homes for Ukraine programme, to reduce the risk of exploitation of these vulnerable families.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the matching of Ukrainian refugees with Homes for Ukraine families is only conducted through professionally recognised organisations.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that applicants for housing a Ukrainian refugee under the Homes for Ukraine programme will be checked to a standard that will prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to financially support British nationals hosting Ukrainian refugees outside of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Ukrainian refugees with a close family member in the UK are eligible for the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the contracting process is for providing the pairing information for refugees with hosts in the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and which organisation will be the humanitarian partner.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department requires local authorities to make risk assessments when matching Ukrainian refugees with UK households.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether (a) standard or (b) enhanced DBS checks are required to be made on the UK households offering homes for Ukrainian refugees.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) mandatory and (b) discretionary advice is being given by his Department to local authorities on how to implement checks on UK households offering shelter to Ukrainian refugees.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when further information will be released to constituents registered with the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans his Department has in place to help accommodate Ukrainian refugees in the UK who are unable to leave within (a) 6 months and (b) 3 years.

Eddie Hughes: Further to the oral statement by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up on 14 March, guidance for local authorities has been published on Gov.uk at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils. There are also published FAQs available online at www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions as well as information for sponsors. Information is available on safeguarding checks at these links, as well as on eligibility for the scheme. Phase One of the Homes for Ukraine scheme opened for applications on 18 March and is accessible via links from homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk . Those who had recorded their interest in the scheme were also contacted on that date. Details on future phases of the scheme will be announced in due course.

Local Government: Remote Meetings

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he will publish the Government's response to his Department's call for evidence on local authority remote meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.

Local Government: Remote Meetings

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2022 to Question 94508 on Local Government: Remote Meetings, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on virtual council meetings.

Kemi Badenoch: The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of collating data from (a) local authority teams, (b) GPs and (c) the Department for Work and Pensions to coordinate support for Ukrainian evacuees.

Eddie Hughes: Whilst the Sponsorship element of the Homes for Ukraine programme is led by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Government's response to this crisis involves collaborative effort across a range of Departments and public sector bodies at both a national and local level. A shared and common understanding of the needs of Ukrainian refugees will be instrumental in developing our further support for this community.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Remote Working

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on his Department’s carbon footprint.

Eddie Hughes: The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Offices

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of her decision to close 42 offices across the UK with her policy on increasing the proportion of civil servant roles based outside London.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Department for Work and Pensions' decision to close 42 offices across the UK on his Department’s ability to relocate civil servant roles outside London.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: As the Levelling Up White Paper set out, departments have committed to moving more than 15,000 Civil Service roles out of Greater London by 2025, and 22,000 by 2030. By the end of 2021, more than 2,000 Civil Service jobs had already been relocated from Greater London under the Places for Growth programme.Questions relating to the closure of DWP offices should be addressed to my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Department for International Trade

Import Duties: USA

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress has been made on ensuring the removal of section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium imports in the US.

Penny Mordaunt: Following two months of intensive discussions, the UK secured an expansive removal of Section 232 tariffs on UK steel and aluminium exports to the US on 22 March. The solution reached with the US is bespoke for the UK and reflects the needs and interests of our steel and aluminium industries.From 1 June 2022, the US will replace its Section 232 tariffs on certain UK exports of steel and aluminium with “tariff-rate quotas” (TRQs). This re-opens tariff-free access to the US market back to levels before section 232 tariffs up to a specified volume. This will bring welcome relief to the UK steel and aluminium industries which support the jobs of around 80,000 people across the UK supply chain.

Trade Agreements: Japan

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which of the following protected UK geographical food and drink names were among the 77 proposed geographical indications submitted by her Department to the Japanese authorities on 30 April 2021 (a) Darnibole, (b) Gloucestershire Perry, (c) Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, (d) Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, (e) Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork, (f) Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork, (g) Quality Sparkling Wine and (h) Regional Sparkling Wine.

Penny Mordaunt: We cannot comment on specific applications that have been put forward for protection in Japan. However, Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (such as Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork and Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork) and Traditional Terms (Quality Sparkling Wine and Regional Sparkling Wine) are not eligible for protection in trade deals in the same way as geographical indications, and would therefore not have been among the eligible protected names put forward.

Trade Agreements: Australia

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reason the following protected UK geographical food and drink names were not included in Annex A of the side letter on geographical indications agreed with Australia on 16 December 2021 (a) Cambrian Mountains Lamb, (b) Darnibole, (c) Gloucestershire Perry, (d) Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, (e) Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, (f) Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork, (g) Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork, (h) Watercress, (i) English Wine and English Regional Wine, (j) Welsh Wine and Welsh Regional Wine and (k) Quality Sparkling Wine and Regional Sparkling Wine.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK’s intention, as set out in the side letter on geographical indications (GIs) agreed with Australia, is to submit all eligible UK GIs for protection in Australia if a system for the protection of GIs is established there. Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (such as Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork and Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork) and Traditional Terms (Quality Sparkling Wine and Regional Sparkling Wine) are not eligible for protection in trade deals in the same way as geographical indications, and were therefore not listed in the letter.

Trade Agreements: Japan

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2022 to Question 133932, whether the Japanese authorities are expected to (a) begin public consultation on designation of the remaining 39 UK geographical indications before December 2022 and (b) provide their own proposed list of at least 38 additional Japanese geographical indications for public consultation in the UK at the same time.

Penny Mordaunt: Japan will carry out its domestic processes as appropriate. Our expectations are that the remaining UK geographical indications (GIs) will begin going through Japan’s domestic processes once the current set is completed, and that Japan will submit further GIs for our domestic processes once we have completed procedures for the current set.

Military Aid: Saudi Arabia

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the ethical implications of supplying weapons and military support to the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

Mike Freer: I can assure you that HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously. We assess all applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which take into account our obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty and other relevant rules of international law. They provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to think hard about the possible impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. In making our decisions on the exports of arms, we take advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Music: EU Countries

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Government has made on supporting touring musicians to continue to work in Europe.

Julia Lopez: This government recognises the importance of the UK’s creative and cultural industries, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. We want musicians and performers to be able to tour abroad easily.We have worked with the sector and directly with Member States, to provide clarity on what creative workers need to do. We have confirmed that, in many areas, arrangements are much more workable than has at times been reported. For example, the vast majority of Member States offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers, including most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. This also includes Spain, who in November 2021, following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, introduced 90 day visa and work permit free touring for artists. We continue to work with the few remaining EU Member States that do not allow visa and permit free touring, such as Greece and Portugal, to encourage them to make touring easier.We have also confirmed that portable musical instruments, carried or in a vehicle, can be transported cost-free and should not require ATA Carnets, and that small ‘splitter vans’ are not subject to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement limits around cabotage and cross trade for the creative sectors. We have also launched an Export Support Service (ESS), where UK businesses, including touring professionals, can get answers to practical questions online and by telephone.

Refugees: Ukraine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support she is providing to (a) Refugee Action, (b) City of Sanctuary and (c) other charities supporting Ukrainian refugees.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS is supporting DLUHC in its work with charities who have a vital role in helping to shape the Homes for Ukraine scheme including the support for Ukrainian refugees in communities.This is in addition to the government matching pound for pound the public’s first £25 million for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – the UK’s largest ever aid-match contribution - now surpassing £200 million.We have a long standing relationship with the sector and the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership. We will continue to work together with charities in the coming weeks to support the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Sports: Government Assistance

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support grassroots sport.

Nigel Huddleston: Sport and physical activity are vital for our physical and mental health, and should be front and centre as we build back better from the pandemic, which is why Sport England has invested over £1.5 billion of funding in developing grassroots sport since April 2016. This includes £120,535 of support in the Honourable Gentleman’s constituency since March 2020.

Sports: Belarus and Russia

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent Russia and Belarus participating in international sporting events.

Nigel Huddleston: On Thursday 3 March, the Secretary of State and I convened a summit with 24 international ministerial counterparts - or senior representatives on their behalf - to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the response of international sport.The summit followed bilateral meetings that I held with counterparts from Canada, Poland and Germany.Following the international summit, a joint statement was signed by 37 nations and published on Tuesday 8 March, affirming the position outlined below:Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to host, bid for or be awarded any international sporting events.Individual athletes selected by Russia and Belarus, administrators and teams representing the Russian or Belarusian state should be banned from competing in other countries, including those representing bodies, cities or brands that are effectively representing Russia or Belarus, such as major football clubs.Wherever possible, appropriate actions should be taken to limit sponsorship and other financial support from entities with links to the Russian or Belarusian states.

Film: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Northern Ireland Screen and other producers on support for the film industry in the devolved Administrations.

Julia Lopez: My department continues to work closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the Devolved Administrations to ensure a wide range of funding and initiatives are available to support the film industry in all UK Nations. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, and the UK Global Screen Fund which will invest nearly £30 million in the international growth of independent screen companies across the UK. In addition, the government’s £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme has supported over 1,100 productions around the UK, representing over £2.9 billion of production budgets with over 95,000 jobs supported.Examples of government support that have been provided to the Northern Irish film industry include the National Lottery-supported talent development programme BFI NETWORK. Northern Ireland Screen also receives Lottery funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which it has used to prioritise script development and short films, and receives funding for the Irish Language Broadcast Fund and Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund via the BFI. Furthermore, the BFI will continue to consult colleagues from Northern Ireland Screen as part of the UK Film Skills Review, alongside those from other key bodies in the Devolved Administrations.The British Film Commission (BFC), a national body predominantly funded by DCMS, also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production, including in all Devolved Administrations, and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.

Telephones: Care Homes

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether providers will be prohibited from charging those in adult social care settings extra charges for powercut-resistant telephones after the end of the analogue network.

Julia Lopez: Ofcom has issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfil their regulatory obligation to ensure that their customers, including those in social care settings, have access to the emergency services in the event of a power cut following the transition from analogue to digital telephony. This guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage in the premises, and that the solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline.Ofcom’s power resilience guidance does not distinguish between types of user, however they have issued additional guidance which states that providers should take steps to identify vulnerable consumers and engage in effective communications to ensure all are protected in the migration process.Although migration is an industry led initiative, the government is clear that the PSTN migration should not be used as an opportunity for providers to raise their prices or otherwise exploit vulnerable consumers with disproportionate costs for the necessary upgrades.

Broadcasting: Russia

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, what recent discussions her Department had held with Ofcom on revoking the licences of Russian state-backed broadcasters.

Julia Lopez: Broadcasting regulation is a matter for the independent regulator Ofcom. The Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom on 23 February setting out her concerns over Russian propaganda following the crisis in Ukraine. Ofcom responded on the same day, informing the Secretary of State that it had already stepped up its oversight of coverage of these events by broadcasters in the UK, in recognition of the serious nature of the crisis in Ukraine.We welcome Ofcom’s decision to revoke RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK so that Putin can no longer spread insidious propaganda on UK television. We will not hesitate to take any necessary action against key individuals and bodies responsible for disseminating misinformation and are exploring options to stop the spread of such material in the UK.

Cybersecurity

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to utilise data sovereignty to gain a competitive advantage over hostile states.

Julia Lopez: The Government’s approach to data policy is set out in the National Data Strategy. The strategy is ambitious and pro-growth, placing the availability of data and confidence in its use at its heart, and positioning the UK as a global data champion.Data sovereignty, including improving data use and access in the UK and controlling our own data laws and regulations, presents a major opportunity for economic growth, strategic innovation as well as boosting our national security and defence capabilities. We have published priority areas for where the government will take action on increasing data access and availability in the National Data Strategy Mission 1 Policy Framework. The Government has also recently consulted on an ambitious package of data reforms to create a new pro-growth and innovation-friendly data protection regime that underpins the trustworthy use of data. We will be setting out next steps shortly.The UK will also continue to champion the international flow of data and support open data and improved data quality and data standards, while working with like-minded international partners to ensure that global data governance supports better outcomes for us all.

Broadband: Standards

Mr Philip Hollobone: What proportion of addresses have access to gigabit-capable broadband connections in (a) Kettering constituency and (b) England.

Julia Lopez: 88 per cent of premises in the Honourable Member’s constituency are able to access gigabit-capable broadband.Across the UK as a whole, 66 per cent of premises now have access to gigabit broadband, up from six per cent three years ago. This means Kettering’s connectivity is above the national average and we are on track for gigabit coverage to reach at least 85 per cent of premises by 2025 and we are working to reach near-universal coverage as soon as possible thereafter.

Freedom of Expression

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Online Safety Bill on free speech.

Chris Philp: Protecting freedom of expression online is a core objective of the Online Safety Bill and we have included significant safeguards to ensure users can engage in robust debate online.In carrying out their safety duties, all services in scope must consider and implement safeguards for freedom of expression. Ofcom must also carry out its new duties in a way that protects freedom of expression.The Bill will not require platforms to remove legal content that is accessed by adults. Rather, they will need to be clear what content is acceptable on their services, and enforce the rules consistently. This will prevent the arbitrary removal of harmful content. The Bill also ensures users have effective mechanisms to appeal content takedown. This is a significant improvement on the status quo, where companies remove significant amounts of content with no accountability.Category 1 services also have additional duties to protect democratic and journalistic content, and must consider whether the public interest in such content outweighs the potential harm it could cause.

Internet: Advertising

Andrew Jones: What recent progress her Department has made on tackling fraudulent online advertisements.

Chris Philp: The Government introduced the Online Safety Bill to Parliament on 17 March. Through the Bill, the largest social media companies will need to take robust action to tackle fraud, including fraudulent online advertisements. This will ensure that people using the largest platforms are protected from scams, and ensure these services do not profit from illegal activity.We have also launched a consultation on proposals for wider reform of online advertising regulations, including in relation to fraud.

Gambling: Taxation

Ronnie Cowan: If she will make it her policy to introduce a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund services relating to gambling harms.

Chris Philp: The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act called for evidence on how best to recoup the regulatory and societal costs of problem gambling. We will publish a white paper in the coming weeks.

Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill

Peter Grant: What steps she has taken to implement the recommendations of the Draft Online Safety Bill Joint Committee.

Chris Philp: The Government introduced the Online Safety Bill on 17 March, alongside our response to the Joint Committee’s report, which has significantly influenced the final Bill.We have taken forward over 60 recommendations, including to:put priority offences onto the face of the Billbring scam advertising into scopeinclude Law Commission recommendations on communications offences and cyberflashingintroduce a standalone provision to protect children from pornography on dedicated sites as well as social media.

Freedom of Expression

Andrew Lewer: What steps her Department is taking to protect freedom of expression.

Chris Philp: Freedom of expression and the media are essential qualities of any functioning democracy. The Department is taking a number of steps to protect freedom of expression and democratic values online. This includes our Online Safety Bill, work on open societies with the G7, and our work on press freedom and sustainability.The Government introduced the Online Safety Bill on 17 March 2021. This legislation will usher in a new era of accountability for tech companies, and uphold free expression and pluralism online.

Platinum Jubilee 2022

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Chris Philp: I am delighted that my Department is supporting Buckingham Palace in delivering celebrations to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s seventy years of service.This includes government funding to support the major ceremonial events taking place in London; a Platinum Jubilee website with guidance on how the public can get involved; and an online map of Jubilee events across the UK.

Internet: Children

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent children accessing legal content online that may be harmful to them.

Chris Philp: Protecting children online is a key objective of the Online Safety Bill, which the government introduced to Parliament on 17 March 2022.Providers in scope of the legislation will need to assess whether their service is likely to be accessed by children and, if so, deliver additional protections for them. Safety measures will need to protect children from content and activity which is legal but harmful to them such as pornography and bullying. If sites fail in their duties under the Bill, they will be subject to tough enforcement action by Ofcom.

Gambling

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle harms that can be caused by problem gambling.

Chris Philp: We are currently conducting a Review of the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. This builds on action by the government and the Gambling Commission to strengthen protections in recent years including cutting the stake on gaming machines in betting shops, banning gambling on credit cards, mandating operator participation in the national online self-exclusion scheme GAMSTOP, tightening restrictions on VIP schemes, making online slots safer by design and raising the minimum age of sale of National Lottery games.In 2019, DCMS secured a commitment from industry to contribute £100m over four years to problem gambling treatment. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are also continuing work to improve and expand specialist treatment services, with up to 15 new NHS clinics set to open by 2023/24. Since 2020, children have been taught about the risks relating to gambling, including the accumulation of debt, as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition: Scotland

Kim Johnson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland on equity of legal protections for trans people in the UK.

Mike Freer: It is too early at this stage for the Government to comment on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. We will continue to engage with our counterparts in the Scottish Government as the Bill progresses.

Gender Recognition Act 2004

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference the Third report of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, HC 977, entitled Reform of the Gender Recognition Act, what progress she has made in implementing the recommendation that the Government should bring back an action plan for reform to the Gender Recognition Act within 12 weeks in relation to the spousal consent provision, the requirement to live in the acquired gender and the diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

Mike Freer: The Government has responded to the recent Women and Equalities Committee report on Reform of the Gender Recognition Act stating our view that the position we set out in September 2020 is right and appropriate. The balance struck in this legislation is correct. The evidential and diagnosis requirements in the GRA ensure that the process is rigorous and provides assurance that the system is robust, whilst offering provision for people who wish to change their legal sex.